Vandread Mobius: The Second Stage
by The Emerald's Edge
Summary: Mobius 1, Yellow 13 and the crew of the Nirvana return in the Second Stage as they continue forward on their journey back to Mejerian space. And with a new crew member joining them and new enemies with new deadlier weapons hounding after them just how far can they make it before they all begin questioning if its all worth even trying.
1. Moving Forward

Let me not pray to be sheltered from the dangers, but to be fearless in facing them. Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it. - Rabindranath Tagore

* * *

Vandread Dita leads the pilots of the Nirvana in yet another battle against the harvest. Their menacing enemies have gotten fiercer since their last encounter, relentlessly pursuing any struggling or retreating pilots. Thankfully even in the face of the enemy's ferocity no casualties have been suffered thanks to the efforts of Mobius and the Eclipse squadron.

"Alright this is it!" Hibiki yelled after striking down another enemy, "Let's end this".

"Hey what's that?" Jura asked after seeing a glinting light in the distance.

With hardly any time to react, a massive beam of red light was fired from behind the enemy lines, tearing through the left arm of the Vandread and destroying the dread pilots behind it.

Hibiki clenches his eyes shut trying to force himself through the pain he felt, but after hearing the screams of his fellow pilots he slowly opens his eyes to see everyone except himself and Mobius were shot down.

"What just happened?" he asked fearfully as a second beam fired toward the Nirvana destroying it and the remaining enemies all encircled Mobius shooting him down.

"No…" the pilot from Tarak muttered in disbelief, "This can't be happening…this isn't real…" he felt Dita's head drop back against his chest and he looked down to see the red head's eyes slowly closing as she took her last breath.

"Dita!" Hibiki cried before another beam was fired, hitting the Vandread in its center.

Hibiki screamed as he shot up from his bed, cold sweat flooding over his body as he looked around.

The pilot backed himself against the wall of his cell and gripped his left arm which was aching as if someone hit him, "A dream?" he asked himself.

Entering the hangar, Hibiki looked up at his Vanguard, "That light" he hummed, "What was it?"

"Mr. Alien?" Dita's voice said from behind him.

Hibiki turned around to see Dita along with Meia and Jura standing behind him all of them were dressed in their nightgowns and they had the same look on their faces that he did.

"Hey" he greeted in a quiet voice, "Why are you three up so early?"

Meia lowered her head, "It felt like it was trying to communicate with us, sending us a message or at least that's how it felt to me".

"Hold on are you saying you saw the same thing I did?" Hibiki asked her.

"So you saw it to then Mr. Alien?" Dita asked him.

"This is really weird" Jura moaned, "How could all of us have the same dream?"

"We all have something important in common" Meia said looking up to Jura, "The changes to the dreads and Vanguard are proof of that".

"It's still really strange" Jura said before clenching her eyes shut.

"What's wrong Jura?" Dita asked her.

"I'm sorry" Jura said to her, "I'm going back to bed".

Jura returned to her room, but stopped once her door opened when she noticed Mobius coming out of Meia's room.

"You look like you had a bad dream" the blonde pilot said to him.

Mobius shook his head, "Not really. As far as dreams go I've had worse".

Jura gave him a small smile, "So, you and Meia?"

"What about it?" he asked her.

Jura smiled and moved her eyes away from him, "Nothing…I just…treat her right ok? I know she's stronger than most of us, but she really needs someone like you".

"That street goes both ways Jura" the veteran ace replied before seeing the way Jura rubbed her forehead. "Headache?" he asked her.

Jura nodded with a faint smile, trying to be polite to him.

Mobius walked over to her and retrieved a small bottle from his pocket. "Here" he said taking a single pill from the bottle and handing it to her, "Room temperature water and no caffeine or rumbling noises. Once you take it lay down for some more sleep, it won't last for long, but it'll help you get some sleep".

Jura thanked him before entering her room and taking the pill before going back to sleep, leaving Mobius in the hall.

"_Well that's my good deed for the day"_ Mobius thought to himself, "Back to work" he said before walking toward the elevator.

Stepping off the elevator, Mobius made his way to the hangar meeting Hibiki along the way.

"Hibiki" Mobius greeted as he passed the young pilot.

Hibiki stopped and looked back at him, "Mobius can I talk to you?"

"Can it wait?" Mobius asked him, "I need coffee".

"Uh sure" Hibiki answered quietly, "It's not that important".

Mobius vanished around the corner and Dita appeared running over to Hibiki.

"What do you want now?" Hibiki asked her.

Dita smiled shyly, twirling her fingers inside the sleeves of her robe, "Well I was just wondering when you were going to come see my room?"

"Is that it?" Hibiki fired at her, "Dita look around do you really think I have time for something like that right now?"

"Then when?" the redhead asked him, "Tomorrow? The day after?"

"Sometime soon ok, just not now" Hibiki told her before leaving.

From the end of the hall, Mei was watching them not too long ago she would've told Dita to stopped chasing Hibiki across the ship, but thanks to both Hibiki and Mobius she changed. Not only did she start opening up to the rest of the crew, but she became a gentler person while not in combat. Back then she believed men to be their enemies and even considered them dangerous to be around, but now she sees differently and even spends most of her time around one of them.

"And so another day begins" a young voice said from behind her.

Meia looked behind her to see Paiway, writing in her little notebook before holding her frog puppet up to Meia, "I still can't believe Dita would chase after a man".

That's when Pyoro showed up out of the blue, "Actually that's normal behavior!" the tiny NAVI-bot hiccupped after it spoke.

Paiway pushed the robot down, "How rude interrupting a lady. Wait did you just hiccup? Robots can't hiccup". Pyoro immediately hiccupped again.

Meia was also confused as to why a robot was hiccupping, but there were other things on her mind so she continued on her way.

Inside the conference room Magno, BC, Gascogne and Mobius were having a meeting.

BC was standing at the end of the table next to a hologram displaying the Nirvana position with Mejere at the other side of the screen, "We are approximately 90 days away from Mejere. However we've yet to receive any word from our home world or Tarak about the threat we're facing from Earth".

Magno looked up to her second in command, "What about those two pods we sent out before? They should have arrived by now".

Gascogne crossed her arms, "Seems pretty obvious that we're getting the cold shoulder".

"It's very likely" Mobius said moving his eyes over to the captain, "Tarak suddenly receiving a warning from a band of female pirates? And in the eyes of the Mejerian government you're all outcasts or criminals yet you're warning them against something".

"What are you getting at?" Magno asked him.

Mobius set his elbow against the table and rested his chin against his fist, "To suddenly receive a warning from a group of pirates that both worlds don't trust, they could think you're up to something, a ruse to get them to focus their attention on something else while you slip in to attack".

Magno had a small smile on her face, "Well we are pirates".

Mobius continued, "The other possibility is that they believe there's a chance the threat is real, but without complete proof they don't want to cause a panic in the public" Mobius closed his eyes, "One of the many reasons I hate politics".

Magno looked at the image of Mejere on the hologram screen, "I'm sure they won't ignore the message we're sending this time. Once they learn that Earth's true intention is to harvest our reproductive organs".

A screen appeared next to the hologram showing Parfet, "Reporting captain".

"Is something wrong?" the captain asked looking at the lead engineer.

Parfet nodded, "I'm afraid so. The Peksis is acting up again and I can't seem to figure out the cause".

"Is this going to be a weekly event?" Mobius asked her.

Parfet apologized, "Sorry we're doing everything we can, but I'm afraid it's not much. It's almost as if the Peksis is confused".

Gascogne leaned back in her chair, keeping her arms crossed "Maybe its residual effects from when the two ships fused together. The Peksis probably feels the same way we do. Men and women are completely different and yet so much alike that we can't even understand each other".

"Speak for yourself" Mobius replied, "I understand women just fine then again I come from a special place" his tone changed toward his last words carrying his obvious distaste for what his former home world was now doing.

"That reminds me actually" the captain said before looking at BC and Gascogne nodding to both of them.

Both the sub-commander and the Reg leader slowly left the conference room leaving only the captain and Mobius.

"The reason I asked you to join us here this time" the captain began making direct eye contact with Mobius as if trying to probe his eyes for information, "Its been quite sometime since you and the other young men joined us when this all first started".

Mobius remained silent, but it was obvious to the captain that in his head he was already figuring out where the conversation was going.

"I know I've said it several times since, but you've really become an indispensable member of the crew. The other men and just about every woman on board this ship look at you as if you're some kind of guiding light that will get us back home".

"I'm nothing more than a pilot doing his job" Mobius told her.

"I'm aware of that" Magno replied, "Nevertheless every singe one of them are beginning to feel that as long as you are here we can't lose" the captain smiled, "I've noticed that even Leona has begun warming up to you".

"Well contrary to popular belief time doesn't fix everything, sometimes direct intervention is necessary".

The captain continued, "Which brings us to the Eclipse squadron as you call them. The strike team you trained to handle the Yellows has exceeded all my hopes and expectations for them. You've done a lot for this ship without expecting anything in return".

"Again I'm only a pilot doing his job captain" Mobius reminded her.

"Be that as it may" the captain told him, her voice becoming more serious, "You're efforts on this ship have not gone unnoticed. Whether you like it or not you've become a symbol of guidance and hope for most of the crew and I'm sure you more than anyone here can understand the importance of morale".

Mobius remained silent as the captain continued, keeping his unwavering eyes locked with hers.

"Both BC and Gascogne are my most trusted allies and my closest friends, I consider them both as well as everyone else on this ship my family even you my dear". Magno stood up from her seat as if she was about to say something important, "Mobius I would like you assist Meia in commanding the dread teams. We never elected a second in command in the event Meia was ever unable to enter battle and I'm sure you remember what happened to her that day".

Mobius kept his eyes on the captain as he recalled the day Meia was shot down by the enemy Yellows, barely surviving the fatal encounter.

"I want you to know that I've spoken with Meia several times about this and she has agreed to it and has even expressed her hopes that you will take up this assignment".

Mobius was silent for a few seconds as he thought about the offer, "Commanding the dread teams and my squadron at the same time will be difficult".

Magno nodded, "I know I ask a lot of you Mobius, but I hope you realize I would not ask if I didn't feel you were capable of it".

Mobius nodded, "Alright I accept".

The captain smiled at him as he stood up, "Good oh and there's one more thing I'd like to discuss with you" she said just as Mobius turned for the door, "About you and Meia".

Mobius silently exhaled, he was well aware that the captain had spotted him and Meia together multiple times and knew that it was going to be brought up eventually.

The captain waited for Mobius to turn back around and face her, "Meia has come out of her shell thanks solely to you and Hibiki, but it was you and you only Mobius who kept here open to the outside world. As I've already said I hold everyone here very dear to me, but Meia is a special case. She's very precious to me and I've seen how much she changes when she's with you and I've noticed the same changes with you. The two of you care for each other very deeply".

The captain paused, impressed as always by Mobius' impenetrable fortitude even his eyes were solid as stone, unwavering even on a personal topic such as this.

"I know Meia is a strong girl on the outside, but on the inside she's very frail and even though she'll never openly admit it she needs someone to protect her especially from her former self. I want you to stay by her side for as long as possible, if you truly care for her you will never let anything harm her".

Mobius' gaze changed it was still firm, but now fierce as well boldly showing his unwavering resolve, "There is no force in existence that can get to her without going through me. If it threatens her I will answer appropriately and if the time should ever come I will die erasing that threat".

The captain watched Mobius slowly walk out of the conference room and noticed something she didn't before. His stance, the way he walked he was no longer carrying the weight he once did on his shoulders it was different now. He still carries a burden with him, but one he's not afraid of one he has embraced and will always carry a burden that only he can bare.

After the door closed behind him, Magno sat back in her chair and thought to herself as it turned around and slid back to return to the bridge, _"It is going to take all of our combined efforts to survive, but I have a feeling young Mobius that it will take you and Hibiki to end this war we've gotten ourselves into"._

In the men's quarters of the ship Duelo was reading a book he found while listening to Bart as he chewed handfuls of pills made on Tarak.

"Women sure are weird. At first I believed that they ate a man's internal organs, but now here we all are getting along…well sort of".

The blonde helmsman noticed Yellow 13 walk by them and into his own cell, retrieving something from the small trunk that served as his footlocker, "Hey Yellow 13 you got a few minutes?" the helmsman asked him.

The Erusian ace turned to him revealing what he had retrieved from his trunk. A Heckler & Koch Mark 23 handgun, "Sure" he replied, setting the gun on his cot and walking over to them.

"What's the gun for?" Bart asked cautiously.

13 shook his head, "I was thinking I might do some target practice, but…I hate guns. They remind me of the war".

Bart had a sorrowful expression, "Yeah I heard you lost a lot of friends toward the end…I can't imagine how bad that must have been for you".

13 sat on the floor next to Bart, "It was a long time ago I've moved on or at least I will once we end the Harvest".

Bart looked up at the ceiling imagining the Su-37's that the Harvest use in their fleets, "That's right, the Harvest are using unmanned fighters of the same type you fly".

13 growled quietly, "It's insulting to me. I can never forgive something like that. I put my heart and soul into Yellow squadron, and to have these monsters turn my pride into such a disgusting tool" the pilot looked up to Bart, "Anyway did you need something?"

Bart quickly returned to his former inquisitive state, "Oh right, you and Mobius both came from Earth right? I mean before it became what it is now".

13 nodded, "Yeah, since the battle with that flagship I've done some history research with Parfet and Gascogne's help. A lot has changed since our days".

Bart set the bag of energy pills down, "Can you tell me how men and women got along back then?"

"What do you mean?" the blonde ace asked him.

Bart leaned forward some more, "I mean how did you coexist with each other, around here it seems no matter how well we get along there's still tension".

"There's really no secret to it Bart" 13 told him, "Once you all realize that we're all human the other pieces will fall into place on their own".

"You make it sound so simple" Bart sighed falling against the wall and eating more of the energy pills.

13 looked up to Duelo, "So what are you reading?"

Duelo showed him the cover of the book in his hand it was titled 'Hello Baby'. Duelo read the next few lines out aloud for the two to hear, "The baby's life begins when the seed, that is the father's sperm is accepted by the female egg called an ovum. The two of them join to form a zygote which in turn develops into a fetus".

Bart had a strange look on his face, "A what turns into what? Are you really into that stuff?"

Duelo smirked at him, "I find it fascinating".

13 chuckled, "A thirst for knowledge. If you come across something you don't understand seek to understand it. Learn as much as you can about what you can. A lot of people believe that wisdom and knowledge is true power…at least back then they did I'm not sure about nowadays".

The three men heard a moan and they looked at the doorway to see Hibiki shamble in and collapse on the cot.

"What's got into him?" Bart wondered before 13 got up and left, returning a few short minutes later with a bottle of water and handing it to Hibiki.

Hibiki clumsily thanked him as he took the bottle and quickly began downing it. The young pilot gasped for air once the last drop of water was gone, "Thanks" he said again setting the bottle to the side, "Sorry it's just these women are driving me to my limits".

"That's nothing new" Duelo said in a somewhat cold tone.

"Its not just that" Hibiki told him, "Dita keeps bugging me about this promise I made her during that big battle we had".

"A promise?" Bart asked him.

Hibiki nodded and without realizing it he told them that he had promised to visit Dita's room.

"You promised to go to Dita's room?" Duelo asked him.

Hibiki nodded with a slight blush, "Yeah it just kind of came out in the moment you know?"

"So what's the big deal then?" Bart asked him, "Just go to her room".

"You go!" Hibiki yelled at him.

The helmsman shook his head and his tone became teasing like, "Uh-ah I'm not the one who made the promise".

Hibiki groaned, "You got to be kidding me. Go to a woman's room? A real man would never do that".

Duelo lowered his book, "What a real man would do is keep his promise".

13 quickly pointed at Duelo while keeping his eyes on Hibiki, obviously signaling that Duelo had a point.

Hibiki sighed, "Its not that I want to break the promise it's just…"

"Out with it already" 13 barked at him making Hibiki snap.

"Look! If I go in there, what are we going to do in there? I mean what are we going to about?"

13 smirked, "Maybe you could ask Mobius for some tips".

"Mobius?" Bart and Hibiki repeated.

Duelo hummed, "It has been some time since he last slept in his room".

Bart agreed, "Yeah I always assumed he slept in the hangar's office he always seems to be there".

"You guys don't know?" 13 asked them. Seeing the puzzled looks on their faces answered his question. "He's been sleeping in Meia's room".

"M…Meia's room?" Bart gasped.

"Is it really that much of a surprise?" 13 asked him.

"To him it is" Duelo answered, "When we were first taken prisoner Meia was quite hostile to us much like Barnette used to be".

"She seems nice enough to me" 13 noted.

"Yeah, but you weren't here back then" Hibiki told him, "Her and Barnette were really mean. Thankfully they've lightened up a bit since…then…"

Hibiki's face suddenly darkened as well as Bart's. They were both looking behind 13 and the ace pilot could sense it, he was behind him. "Morning Mobius", 13 greeted with a slight smirk as he looked over his shoulder.

Mobius stared blankly at them before asking 13 to follow him.

13 followed Mobius to the elevator, once they got on and the doors closed Mobius turned to him, "Never volunteer me for something like that again".

"How long were you there?" 13 asked him.

"Right about the time Hibiki started ranting about the promise he made to Dita" Mobius replied.

13 fell silent for a second before looking at Mobius, "Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?"

"Maybe" Mobius answered.

13 looked up at the ceiling of the elevator, "You and Meia. How did you two end up together?"

Mobius' answer was about as bland as 13 expected, "I saved her life".

"That's it?" 13 asked him.

"What do you want?" Mobius asked him, "A poem? I saved her life one day that's how it started after that she started following me around just like you do…just like Claire used to".

"Claire?" 13 muttered, "Your sister right?"

"Claire was more than just my sister" Mobius admitted, "She was my closest friend. After I lost her I swore that I would never lose anything else that's important to me".

"And what is important to you?" 13 asked him.

"Am I on trial or are you writing a book about me?" Mobius asked him.

13 sighed growing a bit frustrated, "You're just not going to stop are you?" he asked him, "You're the only person who's ever challenged me you even defeated me and shot down my entire team. Is it really that hard to indulge me in a bit of curiosity?"

Mobius looked at 13 a bit surprised at his sudden outburst. Mobius reached into his pocket and retrieved the gem case that held the tarot card he always carried, "What's important to me? Redemption or rather proof that I'm as good as I think I am…as I want to be".

"What do you have to prove?" 13 asked him as the doors opened.

The two of them stepped off the elevator and continued on. "I want to prove that I'm strong enough to protect what is important to me. Right now that's Meia and since this ship is important to her it's important to me".

13 had an envious smile, "At the risk of sounding narcissistic I can see a lot of myself in you, but I also see Amanda in you as well. You're a skilled pilot unlike anything I've ever seen and you have this unbelievable determination to protect what matters to you. Amanda, she was the same way. I met her when I was in my late teens and she was still a young girl only 12 years old. I was already a soldier at the time, but later on I began training her to become a pilot".

Mobius listened to 13 as they returned to the hangar, "As time passed the two of us became very close. In the air or on the ground it didn't matter, she was always at my side to protect me".

"So you were what was important to her" Mobius noted, "What was important to you?"

13 had to think on that one, "Back then it was my search for a worthy opponent and even after you destroyed Stonehenge and shot Amanda down that was still my priority although…"

Mobius took a guess at what he was thinking, "You didn't realize how you felt about her until after she died".

13 nodded, "I was so caught up in looking for the one who would challenge me that I never saw it" he looked over to the number 13 emblazed in yellow on his fighter, "I always knew how much I loved her, but I always thought there would be time for it later" he looked back to Mobius, "Mobius if you ever listen to anything I say let it be this, if you feel like you have to keep fighting then by all means continue just remember that Meia should be your top priority no matter what because the unpredictable can happen at any time".

13 walked away leaving Mobius to ponder his words. The ISAF ace watched 13 leave the hangar, "What is important to me?" he asked himself after 13 had left. He looked at the tarot card in his hand, gently cradling it as if it were his own child, "I have to let go".

13 quickly returned to his cell in the men's quarters to get his gun and then made his way to the firing range, as much as he hated guns target practice had a way of focusing him and allowing him to relieve stress.

"Oh, hello Barnette, Jura" he said after seeing the two pilots as he entered the range.

Neither of the two pilots said anything to him, Barnette seemed a bit annoyed that he was there while Jura was clearly off in her own world.

Loading his MK23 13 stepped onto the range platform and took aim at his first target taking a quick breath before pulling the trigger. The sound of the gunshot was deafening to 13, it had been a long time since he last used his weapon and had forgotten how loud firearms were.

"What's wrong?" Barnette asked him, her tone sounded hostile, but her eyes did show a bit of concern.

13 looked over to her and then to the gun in his hands, "Honest answer? I hate guns. It's the only part I don't like about being a soldier".

"Then why are you here?" the green haired pilot asked him.

13 shook his head, "Trying to keep my mind off things, I used to have a guitar back on Earth, but…well my favorite means of relaxing is no longer here so this is what I'm doing now".

Barnette turned back around to fire at her last target when Jura suddenly spoke up, "You know Barnette I want to have a baby".

Surprised, Barnette missed her target and immediately spun around, "What?" she gasped, "A…and you want me to be the Ohma?"

The blonde shook her head, "No with one of the men silly. The doctor said it's possible; just think I'd be the first woman in Mejere history to accomplish such a thing".

13 took that as his cue to leave quickly turning around and exiting the firing range just as the ship's alarm went off.

On the Nirvana's bridge, the radar scans the enemy force ahead of them.

"Life form signal detected Commander" Ezra said, "It appears to be some kind of escape pod".

BC looked at the image of the pod fleeing from the Harvesters, "Is it possible that someone escaped? All pilots don't engage the enemy unless you have to retrieve that pod at once!"

"Mobius 1 taking off from the main hangar" Belvedere said, "Hibiki is launching as well".

Mobius flew at top speed toward the incoming enemy force, "Hibiki I'll splash the ones directly behind the pod you just focus on grabbing it and getting back to the Nirvana".

"Alright, leave it to me" the young pilot replied waiting for Mobius to attack the enemy.

"Dread teams have launched" Belvedere announced.

Meia issued her orders to the dread pilots while she moved into position, "B team surround and protect the Nirvana, A team split up and cover the Vanguard as it retreats with the pod".

"Yukiko to Mobius 1, what do you want us to do?"

"The same as always if the target is yellow shoot it"

"What about Captain Hamilton right?" Laura asked in a joking manner, "I mean unless you want us to shoot at him you're the boss".

"Hmm tempting" Mobius replied holding back his smile, "Eh we might need the meat shield uh I mean wingman…yeah"

"What is this pick on 13 day?" 13 asked as he flew into combat alongside Mobius, firing at the enemy to scatter their lines.

13 watched as the enemy evaded his missiles at last second before swinging behind him, "Whoa…These guys are a lot faster than they used to be".

Mobius didn't give his target a chance to get behind him, expertly following after it and taking it down, "All units be advised these guys are a step above the rest stay frosty".

"Gascogne's ship is taking off from the Nirvana"

"Hibiki be ready to hand off I'm coming in" the Reg leader ordered as her ship approached the Vanguard.

"Alright just be sure to get back safely" Hibiki told her.

Gascogne smirked, "Well if you do your job right I won't have to worry about that".

Hibiki handed the escape pod to Gascogne and turned around to return to the battle just as a small group of cube-types sped past him and attacked the supply ship, two of the self destructing as they rammed into the side of Gascogne's ship.

"What the hell?" Hibiki yelled as two more cube types did the same suicide run against the Vanguard.

"Well that's some good coordination they've got there" Gascogne said as another group of cube types swooped in under her ship and took the pod before it could be secured.

"The enemy is retreating with the pod!" Belvedere cried as the enemy began fleeing.

"They're not after us?" BC muttered, "Captain?"

Magno had a smirk on her face as if she was amused by this turn of events, "This is certainly an unexpected twist. If that pod is so important to Earth that they are willing to ignore us then by all means we've got to get it back".

Ezra turned to the captain and BC, "I've detected a group of enemy Yellows approaching from behind the enemy, four in total there also seems to be a high speed object approaching the area".

"A high speed object?" BC wondered, "Get a scan of the approaching object at once" she ordered, "Bart be prepared to take evasive actions!"

The bridge operators immediately began scanning the incoming object as well as calculating its distance from the Nirvana and speed.

"Scan complete, posting the image on screen" Aramone announced before showing an image of a familiar giant object.

BC narrowed her eyes, "It's that weapon again the one Mobius called Stonehenge".

Belvedere turned around, "The object is on a direct collision path with the Nirvana, but the enemy force is in the way although even if they move we can easily avoid the object with a simple adjustment in our current position".

BC nodded, "Bart, move the Nirvana to starboard".

"Roger Commander" Bart yelled from the helmsman portal as he began steering the ship to the right.

"I don't like this" Mobius muttered over the radio watching the enemy Yellows split off from each other and the enemy's main force open up leaving a giant hole in the middle of their formation, Mobius knew what was about to happen "Bart move the ship now get out of there! All pilots scatter and get as far away from the center of the area!"

The pilots were confused by Mobius' sudden orders, but they knew better than to question him in a battle. The pilots of the Nirvana quickly separated from each other staying in small groups and fleeing from the epicenter of the battle while Bart moved the Nirvana far out of position.

"10 seconds until the object enters the area!" Aramone yelled.

The object entered the battle area and once it reached the spot where the Nirvana used to be it exploded, sending out a shockwave of red light.

"What was the hell was that?" Hibiki gasped, covering his eyes from the blinding light.

"Focus!" Mobius yelled at him, "Get the pod now!"

Hibiki turned back around and gritted his teeth, "You bastards aren't getting away, Jura let's go!" he yelled.

Jura flew toward Hibiki the two ships combining to form Vandread Jura while Mobius along with the Eclipse squadron flew ahead of them to attack the enemy.

Once the enemy was dealt with, Vandread Jura moved in and secured the pod within its shield. Jura arrogantly flicked her hair, "Ta-da! Am I good or what?"

"Better late than never I guess" Hibiki sighed as Jura moved her seat closer to him.

"Listen Hibiki" she whispered to him, "I want to have a baby, will you give me what I need?"

Hibiki's face immediately went red and the young teen began sweating, "Are you serious right now? In case you haven't noticed we're still surrounded by the enemy!"

Jura began laughing at Hibiki when Meia ordered both of them to return to the Nirvana, "The enemy appears to be in observation mode, return to the ship at once meanwhile we'll…" Meia stops when she noticed something move in the darkness behind the enemy, _"What is that?"_ she thought to herself _"A new enemy?"_

"All units listen up" Mobius ordered, "There's an unidentified enemy in the field stay alert and be ready".

The new enemy resembled a sting ray that swam through space slowly approaching Vandread Jura.

"Jura, Hibiki move now!" Mobius ordered, but it was too late.

The new enemy targeted the Vandread and fired a red laser scoring a direct hit and forcing the ship to separate leaving the pod vulnerable once again.

"The enemy has the pod again!" Belvedere informed.

"Dammit I've had enough of this" Mobius growled, "Eclipse squadron move in and take down anything that get's in the way do not let them get away with that pod".

The wings of the Eclipse squadron answered in unison as they flew forward the reengage the retreating enemy. Hibiki and Dita combine and follow them into battle, they easily destroy the enemy cube types, but before they can secure the pod the sting ray-like enemy fires its cannon once again.

The red laser strikes Vandread Dita in the right arm causing all power to the Vandread to be lost. The blue armor of the Vandread begins changing to a rusty red color as the mech fell motionless.

"What's going on here damn it?" Hibiki yelled just as the enemy began attacking the Nirvana.

Bart screamed, "It never hurt this much before I don't know how much more I can take! Engineering what the hell is going on?!"

Parfet's voice answered, "I don't know! The Peksis is really going crazy; it's almost as if it's afraid of something".

The massive sting ray vessel opened its mouth and a giant tentacle-like appendage extended out and wrapped around Vandread Dita, slowly pulling the mech toward it. The vessel's mouth opened wider revealing giant spikes for its teeth as it pulled the Vandread closer and closer ready to harvest the pilots within.

Hibiki glared at the monster before him, he wasn't going to let it end here. "Dreams may seem real when you're asleep, but I'm not sleeping now and the reality is that I'll never let you win, never!"

Hibiki's courageous defiance restored the Vandread's power, returning it to its shining blue color and its power. The Vandread pulled its arms back easily cutting through its bindings before it reared back and jammed its weapon into the mouth of the enemy vessel, destroying the monster in a single blow.

With the main enemy destroyed, Vandread Dita retrieved the pod once again and began retreating leaving the rest of the pilots to clean up the remaining enemy.

On the way back to the Nirvana, Meia was smiling to herself, "He's so reckless, but he gets the job done".

"Are you that surprised?" Mobius asked her, "That boy has a strong will, he's got a lot of potential in him all he has to do is learn how to use it".

Meia looked over to the F-22 flying next to her, "You sound a bit nostalgic, care to share?"

"Maybe later" Mobius answered quietly, "I'm a bit tired right now".

With everyone back safe and sound everyone gathered in the hall outside the hangar to watch as Parfet hacked the lock of the pod and opened it.

"Ok done" the engineer smiled as she unlocked the pod.

The seal around the pod broke and cold air hissed out as it slowly opened revealing its contents, a young girl in a yellow sleeveless outfit she had deep blue hair tied in a ponytail and she triangle shaped earrings.

"Is she an alien?" Dita asked.

"Sorry Dita she's as human as we are" Parfet said dismissing Dita's hopes at finding another alien.

From the back of the crowd Hibiki began pushing his way through everyone to get a closer look, once through the crowd Hibiki watched Duelo check the girl vitals, once the doctor announced that the pods life support systems were still working Hibiki tried to get closer, but tripped and landed face first against the pod.

As the young pilot fell back, clenching at his face the girl in the pod began opening her eyes; they were a dark shade of crimson. Once the girl's eyes were opened her left earring began to glow and some kind of hologram of a shapeless yellow creature was projected, its face glared at Hibiki with a clear hostility.

"What is that?" Hibiki gasped before the girl sat up and looked at him.

"It was you" she muttered, "You saved me oh thank you!" she yelled lunging forward and embracing the young pilot in a tight hug, "You saved me my lord prince!"

"Lord?" Barnette started as Jura finished what she was thinking, "Prince?"

Seeing the girl hugging Hibiki clearly made Dita she glared at the girl even as Mobius walked in front of her and past everyone else.

"I need coffee" he sighed in an annoyed tone as he gently pushed his way past the crowd of women.

The day continued from there with a lot of new gossip on the ship about their new visitor, but eventually everything died down as everyone turned in for bed. There were only a few crew members still awake including Mobius, Yellow 13, Meia and the captain.

Mobius remained in the hangar, still going over squadron reports for their battle that day while Yellow 13 was holding his hand out and moving his fingers like he was playing an invisible guitar.

"Do you ever work?" Mobius asked him.

13 half smiled, "Of course I do, but I also take these occasional things called breaks".

Mobius flipped a sheet of paper over his clipboard and continued writing, "The quicker you get everything done the more time you have to relax".

13 stopped playing his imaginary guitar and looked at Mobius, "I'm going to be direct on this one".

"I prefer it always be that way" Mobius told him without taking his eyes off the reports.

"Work does need to get done I'm not arguing that, but you can't constantly immerse yourself in it. You have to take time for yourself and what's important to you, I know I'm not that much older than you are, but trust me on this one there is a very short window in your life where you have to make this kind of decision, always working or work and occasionally relaxing".

With that 13 quietly got up and left, leaving Mobius in the hangar office to finish his reports.

Meanwhile in the garden section, Meia was sitting on the bench staring up at the distant stars surrounding the Nirvana.

"Shouldn't you be in bed by now?" the captain's voice said to her.

Meia looked over to see Magno smiling at her, "I'm just not very tired at the moment" Meia lied as the captain walked over and sat beside her.

"You're thinking about Mobius again aren't you?"

Meia looked at the ground with a slight smile, "I don't know why I bother lying to you it never works. The truth is he's all I can think about".

Magno smiled, "That's a common thing to happen when you care for some one so much. Tell me Meia just how much do you care for young Mobius?"

Meia blushed as she turned her head away from the captain, "I love him" she quietly admitted.

Magno chuckled at her, "Oh I already knew that dear, I was just seeing if you could openly admit it. The truth is I've been keeping a close eye on both of you since Christmas seeing how you're relationship with him will go".

Meia returned her eyes to the ground below them, "I know Mobius is a man, but I've never felt this strongly about anyone".

Magno chuckled again, "Take it from me Meia, love knows no gender. It doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman love can blossom between anyone and I'm happy to see that you're happy when you're with him and I know he is happy to be with you".

Meia smiled again, "I'm definitely happy to be with him, but now I'm…"

"What is it my dear?" Magno asked her, "You know you can tell me anything".

Meia took a deep breath before looking at the captain, "A few nights ago he asked me to marry him".

The captain seemed really surprised by that news, "Oh did he now? That's quite a surprise for me".

Meia was still smiling, but she could feel herself blushing brightly and quickly turned her head away which made the captain laugh rather loudly.

"There's no need to be embarrassed by that Meia, marriage is a very special thing saved only for those who truly love each other to no end and will stop at nothing to keep each other happy for the rest of their lives".

Meia remained silent, still hiding her face from Magno.

The captain dropped her smile and asked, "I take it you haven't given him an answer yet?"

Meia shook her head and slowly returned her eyes to the captain, "I…I said yes. I was shocked when he asked me, but then all I could feel was happiness, like I was flying through an open sky, but now I'm…I'm just wondering if its something I should do…a decision like this".

Magno politely cut her off, "There is no easy way to make that kind of decision Meia. You can contemplate it all you want, but it won't make it any easier".

"Then how can I be sure?" Meia asked her in a panicked voice.

Magno smiled again, "You already are. When you are hit with a question like that Meia it's an answer you already know in your heart no matter what and I can tell what your heart is saying as clear as an open book right now. If he loves you enough to ask you such a question that means he's sure he wants to spend the rest of his life with you and if you're really as happy as you are with him and love him so much that you can't stop thinking about him then you already know the answer".

Magno slowly got up and gave Meia one last smile, "Don't think with your mind Meia feel with your heart and you'll realize everything you need to know, trust me dear".

Meia watch the captain walk away and looked back up to the stars, "I love him" she said to herself, "There's nothing I want more in my life…for whatever reason he is what makes me happy".

Meia felt her chest tighten, she slowly raised her hands and placed them over her heart and closed her eyes, "So I really should then?" she quietly asked herself. Meia got to her feet and took one last look at the stars above her before returning to her room.

Returning to her room, Meia opened the door before sensing someone behind her. Slowly turning around she met Mobius' eyes as she wrapped her arms around him embracing him as if he was the only thing that allowed her to stand.

"You seem happy all of a sudden" the veteran ace smiled, "Did something happen while I was gone?"

Meia shook her head before looking down, "No it's nothing it's just…I think I finally realized just how important you really are to me".

Mobius kept smiling as Meia let go and lead him into her room, once inside his smile faded as he closed the door, "Meia" he said quietly as he reached into his pocket.

Meia was about to remove her circlet when he said her name, she turned to face him and froze when she saw the look in his eyes a look of hesitation and doubt, "Yes?"

"I want to give you something" he said pulling his hand from his pocket and holding it out with whatever he was holding facing the floor so she couldn't see.

Meia slowly held her hand out and allowed Mobius to place the item in her hand. Once the item touched her hand Meia's eyes widened, she knew what it was, "Mobius?" she muttered looking up to him.

Mobius was clearly hesitant to let go of it, but slowly he retracted his hand leaving Claire's tarot card in Meia's hand, "Its time I let go and moved on" he said although he sounded like he was trying to convince himself of it, "I want you to keep it from now on".

Meia looked at the card in her hand, she didn't want to take it from him it was his most precious possession and he was giving it to her. Gently she cupped her hands and cradled the card against her chest, "I'll keep it safe and treasure it" she said weakly before setting the card and her circlet on her nightstand.

She blushed as she looked back at him and unfastened the buckles of her flight suit, allowing it to drop to the floor before removing the under layer as well and changing into her nightgown.

Once she had her nightgown on Meia slid into her bed waiting for Mobius to join her, the hardened pilot lifted the blanket before sliding in next to her.

Once Mobius had settled in, Meia leaned over and kissed him, "I love you Mobius" she whispered before resting her head against his shoulder and closing her eyes as his arm wrapped around her. With the day over and her mind clear, Meia dreamt that night.

_Meia was standing on a grass covered hill, looking up at the clear blue sky above her she had been here once before when she almost died after sustaining fatal injuries at the hand of the enemy._

"_Meia" a welcoming, happy voice called to her._

_Meia turned around to see her mother standing there smiling at her, "You've grown so much" she smiled, "You're turning into such a beautiful woman"._

"_Mother" Meia muttered with a small, but happy smile as she jumped forward and hugged her, "I miss you"._

_Her mother placed her hand on top of her head, "Its alright dear I'll always be with you in your heart"._

_Meia looked up to her mother, "Mother I…I have something I want to tell you"._

_Her mother smiled at her, "I already know Meia and even if he is a man if he makes you happy then I am happy as well"._

_Meia's eyes were shaking as she looked at her mother's face, "Then do you think I should marry him? I really love him and want to be with him more than anything"._

_Her mother continued to smile at her, "My lovely Meia, if that is how you feel then you already know the answer"._

_An invigorating gust rolled across the hill carrying a sense of warmth with it._

_Meia's mother looked down to her, "Its time for me to go Meia, but if you ever need me I'll be here"._

_Meia didn't want her to leave, but she knew she had to say goodbye for now. She hugged her one last time, "I love you mother"._

_Her mother smiled as she returned the embrace, "And I love you my wonderful daughter"._

_Meia's mother vanished from sight leaving Meia standing alone with tears in her eyes, but she was smiling as she looked up to the sky and saw the Nirvana fly overhead with an F-22 right next to it._

* * *

There is no illusion greater than fear - Lao Tzu

* * *

**A/N. **And we're back once again. Vandread Mobius: The Second Stage is a go.

First off congratulations to me this chapter is officially the longest I've ever written.

Secondly to all of my American readers out there I wish you all a happy Independence Day as I waited to release this chapter until July 4th as my own way of celebrating.

Thirdly, I would like to thank my comrade in writing arms Vader23A for...unintentionally inspiring a part of this chapter.

And fourthly and finally I'd like to give a shout out and my congratulations to of good friend of mine from High School who has officially become a United States Army Ranger as of last week.

Now for the actual chapter break down...

The crew of the Nirvana once again survive another encounter with the enemy, retrieving a fleeing escape pod containing a strange girl, how will this affect their future? And will this girl be an asset to the crew or a liability?

Hibiki proved that no matter how much you may fear a situation or conflict the only way to overcome it is through action and force of will.

Once again the enemy fires a Stonehenge style weapon at the Nirvana from an unseen origin, with this weapon playing a bigger and bigger role in their battles can the Nirvana hope to survive against such power?

And it seems Yellow 13 and Captain Magno are trying to push Mobius and Meia's relationship even further, with Meia accepting Mobius' proposal will they live to the end to see that dream realized or are they fated for a less lighted path?

These questions and other questions that will arise later on will be answered as Vandread Mobius: The Second Stage continues.


	2. Arrival

Where there is love there is life - Mahatma Gandhi.

* * *

Mobius' eyes snapped open, the primal fury of his nightmare wrenching him awake just as they had countless nights in the past. He laid still and quiet, taking a deep breath, silent breath as he closed his eyes and turned his focus inward to calm himself.

Opening his eyes the veteran ace slowly sat up, once again memories from his past haunting his dreams. Silently looking over to Meia who was still asleep next to him he forced a small smile as he carefully slid out from under the sheets and covered her exposed arm before throwing on a white t-shirt with a blue strip running across the shoulders.

Taking his shoes and black jeans from the corner of the room he quietly dressed himself before leaving the room, taking one last look at Meia before he closed the door behind him.

Entering the hangar, Mobius walked up to the office room to check the left over paperwork from the previous day. Grabbing the clipboards with his squadron reports he turned on the coffee maker near the door before taking a seat at the desk.

While reviewing the squadron reports Mobius took note of the reports on how the enemy seemed to be evolving. The harvest units and the Yellows seemed to be getting smarter, learning to evade at just the right moment and turn to counter attack.

"This is going to pose a problem" he said to himself, "If the enemy is getting better then they need to get better than that…13 and I will be fine, but Meia, Hibiki and everyone else…"

Hearing the coffee maker behind him go off, Mobius set the reports down and got up to pour a cup before sitting back down.

"Alright" he said aloud taking another glance at the reports, "The obvious answer is they just need to get better. The enemy is continually improving their tactics so we have to do the same…Alright then I'll have Parfet program the simulators I'll put Leona and the others through them first followed by Hibiki and Meia then Jura and Dita".

"So how long are you going to stand there and eavesdrop on me?" he asked, flipping a page from the report.

A nonchalant chuckle came from the doorway of the office, "You're going to have to teach me how to do that one day".

"You're up early Yukiko" Mobius said as she walked around and sat next to him.

"Look who's talking" the brunette replied as she sat next to him, "Only a handful of people are up at this hour".

"And yet work goes on" the ace pilot muttered as he continued to read over the report.

"Well since I'm here" Yukiko began, "Do you need help with anything?"

"I could use a second opinion on a few things" Mobius told her handing her the report about the enemy.

"Like what?" Yukiko asked him.

"I'm thinking of sending everyone through a new simulation to help prepare against the enemy. Since they're getting better and smarter we need to get better as well".

"We?" Yukiko repeated.

The ace pilot quickly corrected himself with an amused smile, "We being all of you, I can handle myself".

Yukiko grinned at his comment as she started thumbing through the report he handed her, "Sounds like a good idea to me I do have an important question for you though about our squadron".

Mobius didn't answer; he continued to read the report while taking a sip from his coffee.

"You're arguably the greatest pilot that ever lived in history" Yukiko began cautiously checking Mobius' expression for any kind of reaction, "But even with that being said I think we should elect a second in command in the event something happened" Yukiko paused for a moment, "Most likely scenario being something prevented you from taking off. I don't know why, but I just can't imagine you being shot down no matter how many enemies there are".

"That's probably because I can't be" Mobius finally said, "As arrogant as this may sound I am invincible. But you are right in the event I was unable to enter battle there does need to be someone to take over for me. When Captain Hamilton first got here I was thinking of making him my second in command, but never got around to it".

Yukiko slowly nodded, "So you think it should be Jax as well?"

"Jax?" Mobius repeated, "On a first name basis with our beloved Yellow are you?"

"I call everyone by their first name" Yukiko told him, "Well except for you because we don't know your name. Actually now that I think about it it'd be pretty funny if your real name was Mobius".

Mobius cracked a small grin at that comment as he continued reading the reports.

"Anyway" Yukiko continued, "Is there a problem with calling Yellow 13 by his name? You sounded like you didn't approve of it".

"Not really" Mobius told her, "I just hope you two are getting along".

"We are" Yukiko said happily, "We've actually been spending a lot of time together".

Mobius flipped another page in the report, "I've noticed. I don't mind you being friends, but if you're relationship evolves at all just remember there is a time and place for everything".

"What do you mean?" Yukiko asked him.

"What I mean is, if the two of you realize that are more feelings for the other than what you initially thought you need to keep them in check and remember that if in a battle it comes first".

"So you're saying that the enemy comes first and helping our allies is a secondary objective?" Yukiko asked.

Mobius began explaining, "No, what I'm saying is if you two end up getting intimate with each other and a battle occurs you need to focus on that. Protect your allies when you need to, but you can't waste time worrying about them".

Yukiko shook her head, "You're not making any sense Mobius".

Mobius sighed, "Alright I'll put it this way. We're in a battle, now I care about Meia a lot, but I focus on the enemy you know why? Because I trust Meia and her skill as a pilot that she'd be able to take care of herself. Now if there came a time when she really needed help I would go assist her, but other than that my full focus is solely on the enemy and what they're doing".

"Alright now I get it" Yukiko said lowering her eyes, "Just don't worry about them until they really need the help".

"Exactly" Mobius said, "When you care about someone that much you tend to lose focus of the enemy and worry about them. Both you and the captain can handle yourselves very well so focus on the enemy until someone needs help".

"Alright I underst…" Yukiko's face suddenly turned bright red and she jumped back out of her chair shaking her hand and waving her hands in a panic, "Wait, wait, wait No you don't understand its not like that we've just been talking that's all!"

"You're getting a little defensive there" Mobius noted with another amused smirk, "That's pretty suspicious".

Yukiko's face turned brighter, "I…I am not I…I'm just getting to know him I want to know what it was like back on Earth".

"From what I've seen of Tarak and Mejere I could understand why" Mobius said as he set the reports down, "Once Parfet is available I'll go see her about designing a simulation to better prepare everyone".

Mobius stood up and rolled his shoulders back, "So tell me who do you think would be better to lead Eclipse squadron in my absence?"

"Jax of course" Yukiko replied almost immediately, "He has the experience and skill needed to be a leader".

"Laura is open to having a man as her immediate superior although she is hesitant. Leona is starting to come around, but still hostile" he turned to look at her, "You're the only one who doesn't seem to have a problem answering to me".

"Honestly" Yukiko began, "I don't care if you're a man or woman. On Mejere there are a few women who don't see men as enemies we're some of the ones who can think for ourselves. My mother always taught me to not believe everything I hear until I see the proof of it for myself".

"So you held back your judgment of men until you saw us for yourself?" Mobius asked her.

Yukiko nodded, "Hibiki is a nice boy he's just a bit…"

Mobius finished what she was thinking, "Conceited and in desperate need of an ass kicking?"

"I wouldn't go that far" the brunette pilot muttered, "Duelo is definitely nice enough he's very knowledgeable and when he first got here he didn't care if someone was a man or woman he helped everyone the same. Bart…well he's a strange one, but I know he's trying to understand us".

"I think he's insane personally" Mobius muttered to himself.

"And then there's you and Jax. I've seen you defend us in battle without hesitation or expecting anything in return. Maybe at first you were protecting yourself, but you began fighting for all of us eventually and Jax is the same way. His first battle after joining us he flew to protect anyone who was in trouble".

Yukiko finally looked away from Mobius and out toward his and 13's fighter in the hangar, "The two of you are amazing. As strange as this may sound when I watch the way the two of you fly I…I feel like I'm watching angels fight against the enemy guiding lights that won't fade away".

"That's where we have a problem" Mobius said turning to face her, "If you look up to me as a mentor or someone you want to surpass then that's fine, but do not look at me as if I'm some kind of higher being. I'm human just like you are".

"I didn't mean it like that" Yukiko said, "I…I just meant that you and Jax are such amazing pilots that you give the rest of us hope that we'll be able to get through this".

"A lot of people seem to be thinking that" Mobius said recalling that both Magno and Meia have told him that multiple times. The ace pilot shook his head and started walking out of the office before Yukiko stopped him.

"Can I ask you something Mobius?"

Mobius looked over his shoulder at her, "What is it?"

Yukiko was quiet for a brief moment before shaking her head, "Never mind it's a silly question".

Mobius left the office leaving Yukiko alone as she sat back down, _"He's so strong and confident in his own abilities and captain Jax is the same way. Just being near them makes me feel better I know we can't lose with them on our side"._

Outside the door to the cafeteria Mobius thought back to the dream he had another dream of a time he spent with his sister Claire. Seeing the blurry images in his mind caused him pain as he thought of all the times he spent with her before she died.

"There you are" 13's voice called to him, "Duelo said that girl we found in that pod thing might wake up soon I figured you might want to check it out. I'm thinking since the enemy was so interested enough in her that they were willing to ignore us there must be something important about it right?"

Mobius nodded to him, "You're probably on to something there, let's go".

Following 13 to the infirmary, Mobius saw Meia waiting for them outside, "Morning you two" she said as they stopped in the doorway.

"Good morning Meia" 13 said slightly bowing his head before entering the infirmary.

Meia looked up to Mobius and smiled, "Is something bothering you?"

Mobius gave her a weak chuckle, "You've got to stop asking me that every morning".

Meia moved her eyes to the side, "I've been around you long enough to notice the difference in your eyes when there's something on your mind" she gently clasped his hand in hers, "Tell me".

Mobius gave her and apologetic smile, "Later, for right now let's see what this is about".

Following Meia into the infirmary they stood at the doorway as they watched Duelo read the files found with the pod they retrieved.

"According to the logs her name is Misty Cornwell and she is 14 years of age".

Paiway held up her frog puppet, "14 plus the 63 she spent in cold sleep which really makes her 77, Ribbit".

Duelo smiled at her, "I stand corrected". Hearing Misty groan the young doctor looked down at her, "She's regaining consciousness".

The girl slowly opened her eyes showing a dark crimson color as she scanned over the room looking at each of the people gathered around her. The look in her eyes showed she was clearly nervous about having so many people gathered around her, but before anyone could say anything her earrings began glowing and projected a hologram of a shapeless yellow creature that looked around the room making obvious aggravated sounds.

"Its ok Q-chan" the girl said to the hologram, "I'll be fine". Sitting up she quickly shuddered before wrapping her arms around her, "It's so cold".

Duelo covered her with a blanket, "Its just residual effects from your cold sleep, it'll wear off soon".

Looking over to him Misty's eyes immediately lit up, "Wow you're a really handsome guy".

Duelo's expression suddenly changed showing his confusion at the girl's words.

"Hey there" Bart cried, "I heard you come from a place where men and women live together. Is that true?"

Misty replied, "That's the dumbest question anyone has asked me. Are you a moron?" The helmsman looked away in shame.

Hibiki got a laugh out of his friend's embarrassment.

Seeing Hibiki, Misty immediately looked back to Duelo, "Hey who's he? What's his name?"

"He?" Duelo asked her, "When you say he you must be referring to one of those two and if it's not Bart you must mean Hibiki".

"Hibiki wow what an adorable name" she said aloud catching Hibiki's attention, "I just knew that one day I would meet someone and it would be love at first sight. The red string of fate you know".

Hibiki's face turned red, "No I have no idea what you're talking about".

Misty giggled, "Wow you're so naïve, but that makes you even cuter. Well just don't stand there come on over and sit next to me".

Dita quickly jumped in front of Hibiki, holding her arms out as if she was shielding him, "No way he's not going anywhere near you! First off red is the color of bad aliens".

Misty glared at Dita before looking at Duelo, "Hey who is she? Is she his girlfriend or something?"

"Yes" 13 snickered from the back of the room.

Duelo seemed confused again, "Girlfriend? I'm not familiar with that term".

"Seriously?" Misty asked before muttering to her pet hologram, "Q-chan these guys are pretty strange".

"Well that works from both ways" Jura said standing up, "And from our point of view you're pretty strange yourself".

"What kind of place have I gotten myself into this time?" Misty asked herself.

Duelo began explaining the situation to her, "Those of us aboard this ship come from environments where men and women live apart from each other. I'm not saying that we're right and you're wrong, but you'd do well to remember that there are fundamental differences between us".

"Mobius" Yukiko called as she entered the infirmary, seeing that Misty was awake she quickly greeted her before turning to Mobius; "The captain would like to speak with you".

Mobius nodded as he followed Yukiko out of the infirmary and down the hall.

"Mobius" Misty muttered as she watched him leave.

Hearing her mutter his name Duelo looked back at her, "The way you said that, it sounded like you've heard that name before".

Misty looked back to him, "I have, but I can't remember".

Duelo helped Misty to understand a few things on the ship before she fell back to sleep. A short time later the captain entered the room and asked how she way doing, "Well Duelo how is our visitor?"

"Resting for now" Duelo answered, "The after effects from her cold sleep are wearing off, but it'll take some time. For now rest is the best thing for her".

"I see" BC said, holding up some kind of capsule in her hand, "Then I guess we'll have to decode this ourselves for now".

"There's something else" Duelo said looking up to the captain, "She said she had heard the name Mobius before, but she can't remember where".

"Did she now?" the captain hummed, "I wonder if it's our Mobius".

"It would seem unlikely" Duelo said, "But I don't think it would be a very common name. Its just a hunch I have right now, but judging by the way the enemy was so persistent in claiming the pod and Earth's obvious dislike for Mobius there may be a connection".

The captain smiled at him, "Well if you feel that it's worth looking into then by all means just be sure to inform me on anything you find".

Duelo nodded, "Of course captain".

Meanwhile in the crew quarters corridor, Mobius and Meia were standing outside Meia's room.

"So what's bothering you?" she asked him.

"The same thing that's always bothering me" Mobius told her as they entered her room, "My past keeps haunting me".

Meia gazed upon him with sympathy wishing there was something she could do to make him feel better.

Mobius sat at the edge of Meia's bed and stared out of her window into the void of space, "It's not just my memories anymore. Every time I have a dream about when I killed someone I can see Claire watching me. She's scared of me of what I was turning in to. I tried to reach out to her, but she turns and runs every time. It makes me wonder if I really am the monster they said I was".

"You're not a monster" Meia told him, sitting next to him. "How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"I know" Mobius said, "But its different there she looked up to me and seeing her afraid of me like that…" the ace pilot fell silent thinking back to his dream.

Grabbing his hand Meia looked into his eyes, the impenetrable stone gaze he always had was just a cover. When she was this close she could see the fear behind them and she finally realized what was bothering him.

"That's not it is it?" she asked him releasing his hand and standing up, "You're not afraid of that. You're afraid that that's who you are. You're afraid to think that what you've done back then is who you are now, that it's all you are".

Mobius looked up to her, "You saw my dream Meia. You've seen what I've done to people".

"Stop it" Meia quietly yelled, kneeling in front of him she took his hand again, "Yes I've seen them and I was afraid when I watched it, but I know that's not who you" she held her own hand against her chest, "And I know in my heart that the man I fell in love with isn't a monster. You're someone I know I can trust and rely on no matter what".

She leaned in closer to him and placed her hand on the side of his face, "I don't care what you did in the past because I know the real you".

Mobius felt his throat closing and forced an awkward laugh to keep himself from breaking down. He looked down at Meia's hand which covered his and rested his own on top of it, "I can't even begin to describe how lucky I am that I got to have you in my life".

Surprised by the sudden change in his tone Meia stared into his eyes as his grip on her hand tightened.

After a brief silence between them Mobius' lips parted, "I'm really happy that I ended up here. The things I've done in the past still haunt me, but…having you with me eases that pain away and gives me something to look forward to the next day".

"You know that's a two way street" the dread leader said to him, "If it wasn't for you I'd still be the person I was" she closed her eyes and lowered her head, "Having you come into my life…I can say it was the best moment of my life".

"Newsflash!" Paiway's cried yelled from the speakers, "Ezra's baby is about to be born!"

Hearing the nurse's announcement Mobius hid his face as he smiled, "Life goes on, with or without you".

"Looks like it" Meia said, "After everything that's happened the cycle of life keeps going".

The lights in the room began to flicker before going out, "I don't like that" Mobius said immediately after the lights went out. Seeing Mobius stand up in front of her Meia had the same instinct he did, something was wrong. When the two of them left the room the Nirvana began shaking.

"An enemy attack?" Meia wondered, "Where's the alarm?"

"All hands attention!" BC yelled over the speakers, "The Nirvana's systems are down and we are under attack all hands battle stations immediately!"

Looking back at Meia, Mobius gave her a half smile, "You heard her".

Meia nodded and the two pilots rushed toward the hangar. Entering the hangar both of them were met by Jura and the members of Eclipse squadron.

"I've got bad news" the blonde dread pilot said, "Both Dita and Hibiki are trapped in one of the elevators with Ezra and it doesn't seem like they're going to be able to restore the power".

"What are you saying Jura?" Meia asked.

Yellow 13 picked up from there, "If the power doesn't come back soon Ezra will have to give birth in the elevator".

"That's insane" Meia argued.

Mobius began walking toward his F-22, "In the elevator or in the infirmary either way we have to protect this ship or there won't be a home for that child when it gets here. Eclipse squadron launch".

Following their flight lead, the wings of the Eclipse squadron launched into battle to defend the powerless Nirvana against the enemy attacks.

"Darn it why'd they have to show up now of all times" Jura complained, "I really wanted to be there when that baby was born".

Meia began issuing her orders, "All dreads prepare for battle, A-team go with attack pattern Delta".

Mobius flew above her, performing a barrel roll descent until he was alongside her, "Eclipse squadron keep your eyes open for enemy Yellows; for now your orders are to engage and destroy all hostiles don't let a single one get past you".

The battle began flashes of laser and missiles being fired from each side as the crossed the battle field. "Its bad that the Nirvana doesn't have any power, but thankfully there aren't that many enemies here" 13 said after swiftly shooting down an enemy cube type.

"Don't be too sure Captain Hamilton" Yukiko said, "I see two enemies coming in from the front".

Seeing the two massive eye shaped ships approaching, Mobius immediately turned his attention to Yellow 13, "Why don't you jinx something else? Go ahead make it harder for us".

"You sound on edge all of a sudden" 13 replied, shooting down another enemy, "What's got you worked up?"

"Jax look out!" Yukiko yelled as the eyes shaped enemies began glowing in their center before firing large golden colored chains toward the Nirvana piercing through the ship's arms and anchoring to them.

"What the hell are they doing?" 13 asked.

"Who cares just stop them" Mobius ordered, evading his pursuers and firing on the eye ships.

Meia flew in behind him with a group of dreads, "Target the grappling devices they have hooked to the Nirvana. Jura, Barnette take the port side".

"Roger" Barnette replied as her and Jura flew to the port side of the ship and attacked the anchors.

Mobius made a pass at one of the eye shaped enemies, "Captain you and Yukiko attack the enemy on the left, aim for its center and try to break the chain. Leona, you and Laura attack the one on the right I'll keep the enemies off of you".

The pilots began attacking the anchored enemies desperately trying to free the Nirvana, but nothing seemed to be working.

"We've hit with almost everything we have" Jura whined, "What's it going to take to break these things?"

"If you can't break the chain then break what's attached to them" Mobius told her, "All units concentrate fire on those two enemies, bring them down and the chains will fall with them".

"Mobius" Leona yelled, "Enemy reinforcements approaching from our 4 o'clock it's hard to see from here, but it looks like a group of Yellows".

"Dammit" Mobius growled after making another pass at the enemy ships, "Leona 13 on me we're going to intercept them and keep them away from the Nirvana, everyone else use whatever weapons you have bring those things down".

Mobius, Yellow 13 and Leona separated from the rest of the pilots and flew out to engage the enemy reinforcements which indeed turned out to be a flight of enemy Yellows.

Firing a wave of XMAA missiles at his targets, Mobius quickly banked to the side to avoid the enemy's attack, falling into a steep nose dive before pulling up to circle behind them.

"I've got you now" Leona yelled as she gained a lock on a Yellow in front of her. Firing the lasers on her dread, the pilot watched the Yellow make an immediate and shocking turn to the side to evade the attack at last second. "What the hell?" she yelled, "It waited until last second to evade they haven't done that before".

"They're getting smarter" 13 told her, "Stay alert and keep after them no matter what don't let one get behind you".

"One down" Mobius reported as he forced a Yellow into a double turn, bringing it right back into his line of fire. Once the enemy was down he switched targets and began chasing another shooting it down after a short chase.

Watching Mobius fly away from the wreckage that was an enemy Yellow, Leona was in awe at how easy he made it look. The ever evolving enemy in front of them began showing advance battle tactics, before now she was on level with them and able to take them down without much effort now she was having a hard time just getting a lock on them.

"How?" she muttered, "How is this all so easy for him? No human should be able to fly like that".

"Leona focus!" 13 yelled, "On your six look out!"

Leona swore at herself, throwing her dread into a nosedive to evade the enemy flying in behind her, thankfully 13 intercepted it head on shooting it down.

"Leona, are you alright?" 13 asked her after the enemy was destroyed.

"I'm fine" she answered, "I'm sorry".

"Leona I need you to focus" Mobius said after flying past another downed enemy, "Remember why you're here, before you became a member of my team what was your job? Protecting your sister right? If you don't defeat this enemy then she's fair game to them".

Leona's grip tightened on her dread controls, "That's not going to happen".

Jerking her dread to the side, Leona flew in front of an oncoming enemy and fired her weapons, bringing it down before narrowly avoiding the attack it launched.

"That's more like it, keep it up" Mobius told her before Jura contacted them, "Can you guys hear me? The first chain is broken we've only got one left".

"That's good Jura" 13 replied, "Now just take out the other one and we'll be all set".

"No need" Yukiko told him, "Laura and I just dealt the final blow, its going down now".

Looking behind his fighter, 13 could see the second eye ship breaking apart as the chain connected to the Nirvana shattered, "Alright everything is golden back there let's mop these guys up and head on home".

After the final enemy was shot down, Celtic contacted the pilots informing them that Ezra's baby was born and completely safe.

"Another day, another battle, another win" 13 laughed as the pilots returned home.

After the battle ended and Ezra was safely in the infirmary with her baby, Mobius arrived at the bridge while Parfet was giving her report to the captain.

"Whoever sent that message must have encoded it in case it was intercepted. They used a voice recognition program as the password".

"Oh I see" Magno smiled, "That's very clever, so what was the password?"

"The voice of a baby" BC answered.

"A baby?"

Placing her hand on her hip BC looked up and smiled at her captain, "That's right; strangely enough Ezra's baby saved us all".

"Well technically my team did help what with fighting off the enemy" Mobius said from the corner, "But I don't mind sharing the credit".

"I wonder" Magno hummed, "Does that mean that there are no more babies on Earth?"

Duelo voiced his thoughts on the matter, "Its either that or they can no longer be born".

Magno returned her attention to Parfet, "Let's listen to the message and find out".

BC played the message that was hidden within the capsule, the image showed an elder man with really thick facial hair.

"I apologize for any inconvenience you've experienced as a result of our precautions. We chose an infant's voice because we believed the sound of a baby would be a true sign of humanity. I sincerely hope that those who receive this message are thriving healthily and prosperously as human life was meant to be. Since you left your homeland on Earth it has suffered drastic and cataclysmic changes".

The video showed an image of Earth as countless numbers of asteroids fell from the sky, crashing into the planet's surface, devastating it.

"Countless asteroids fell to Earth over the course of a few decades which is the cause of the initial changes. There were many who thought they could find a way to protect Earth from the asteroids, but it would take too long for that plan to be completed. So with that in mind mankind began setting off for space to colonize other worlds".

"After we bid farewell to your fleet of frontier ships mankind began to turn to madness leaving the path of prosperity behind. As you know human genetic distribution as reached the saturation point, in other words human evolution for those of us on Earth is no longer possible. So some of us had to leave, to avoid the trap of evolutionary stagnation to ensure that mankind survived, but now…"

The old man was replaced by a woman who showed them an image of a planet with massive machinery covering it, "Take a look at this, this is what your beautiful homeland looks like now. The once blue atmosphere of the planet is hidden behind a monstrous web of hideous machinery. With which Luna, Earth's moon was forced out of orbit, as a result the Earth suffered a drastic change in its gravitational field. And in its present atmosphere storms rage continuously the surface is now like a giant acid field washing machine. What few Earthlings survived have created cities within these gears and are holding on for dear life".

The old picked up again from there, "When you left people thought you were the greatest hope for mankind's survival, but this faded with time. Now those on Earth believe that they are the only true humans and in so doing justified themselves in the right of self-preservation. However the gene pool was so depleted that attempts at cloning ended in disastrous results. So with this same justification they claimed the right to harvest the organs of other humans, yours for their own self preservation".

"So that's how the harvest started" Magno said to herself.

The old man continued, "I don't know how or why this madness started, many of those left on Earth began to blame a single man for the cataclysm that befell our old home world. Desperate for something to focus their anger on they destroyed as many records they could find of this man to erase him from history leaving no trace of him other than in the legends of history"

The message cut out for a short time before picking up again, "Now they use what is left of the original Peksis to make a fleet of unmanned harvesters to hunt you down and harvest you without mercy".

The woman next to him picked up once again, "It is clear that the people of Earth have made a horrible mistake, it is in order to stop this insanity that we are sending our messenger to find you. I doubt that I will ever meet you, you who are watching this message, but I beg you to help humans everywhere in their self respecting dignity and to protect the circle of life that we all entrust to you. There is nothing more we can do for humankind, the rest shall be up to you now. You should never allow the flame of life to be extinguished".

"To protect the circle of life and everything in it" BC muttered.

"We have received their message" Magno said with a disgusted look in her eyes, "Now we must accept this challenge and adopt their commitment in the name of humanity and a world where a child can grow up smiling".

Mobius stepped forward, "That's nice and all, but we missed something".

"What do you mean?" BC asked him.

Mobius looked at the screen above the bridge, "Parfet the message cut out when they were talking about someone in history being responsible for this happening can you salvage that piece and play it back?"

"Hold on" the head engineer replied, "I'll see what I can do".

After a few minutes of silence Parfet contacted them again, "There's a lot of missing data and it will take me a while to salvage it".

"How long?" Mobius asked her.

"I think I should have it fixed by morning, but I can't be a hundred percent on that" she answered.

Mobius nodded, "Just do what you can".

"Is something the matter Mobius?" Magno asked him.

Mobius looked up to her, "Call it a gut feeling, but I think I know what happened to Earth that caused it to change so violently".

Mobius left the bridge returning to the infirmary along with Duelo to see Ezra and her baby. Arriving in the infirmary, Mobius saw Dita standing over the bed the baby was sleeping in, "She's so cute" the dread pilot said happily before looking to Ezra, "Have you chosen a name for her yet?"

Pyoro who was hovering next to Dita flew up and cheered, "Her name is Pyoro 2!"

"That's no name for a girl!" Dita told him, but the NAVI bot continued to argue, "That was decided long ago her name is Pyoro 2!"

"Listen here soup can" Mobius said catching the NAVI bot's attention, "You call her that again and we're going to find out if you're bulletproof".

Pyoro's face suddenly changed, his eyes showing hesitation and fear as Mobius walked over and looked down at the sleeping baby. With a small smile he looked over to Ezra and congratulated her before taking his leave, "I'm sure whatever name you choose will be just fine".

Mobius left just as Misty entered he greeted her with a small nod as he stepped past her.

Returning to his own room in the brig for the first time since a week after Christmas he sat down on the cot that used to serve as his bed and leaned back against the wall.

"Earth changed because of years of being hit by asteroids…I don't like where this is going" he said to himself as he closed his eyes.

* * *

Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile - Albert Einstein.

* * *

**A/N.** Well its been a little over 2 months now, but I finally have chapter 2 up.

It seems that Mobius' past is haunting him even more now and even Meia is having a hard time taking his mind off of the terrible things he did in his past. Will this turn into an obstacle for the two of them or will their love for each other prove true?

Also it seems Yukiko has taken an interest in Yellow 13, is this the beginning of a new relationship or just Yukiko's curiosity?

And the Nirvana suffers a complete shut down due to a virus hidden within the capsule recovered from Misty's pod, but thankfully and strangely the Nirvana and its crew was saved by the voice of Ezra's new born baby.

Be sure to tune in next time for the next installment in Vandread Mobius: The Second Stage!


	3. The Truth Revealed

We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves. –Buddha.

* * *

Mobius opened his eyes and sat up his back felt stiff, but he stretched out his arms and got to his feet. Stepping out of the cell that used to be his room, Mobius looked back at his cot it was the first time he slept here since after Christmas.

Ever since he and Meia admitted their feelings for each other he had stayed in her room with her every night. Taking a deep breath the pilot walked out of the brig and to the crew quarters hoping Meia would be in her room.

Outside Meia's room Mobius reached up and gently knocked on the door and waited to see if Meia was inside.

A few seconds past and the door slid open; Meia was standing there in her nightgown surprised to see Mobius standing there.

"I didn't wake you did I?" he asked her.

Meia smiled and shook her head, "No I've been up for a while I just haven't changed yet". Meia stepped to the side letting him in and closing the door behind him, "Did you have another dream?" she asked him after seeing the look on his face.

Mobius shook his head, "Not this time, not a bad one anyway. I just feel like I should apologize to you".

Meia tilted her head, "For what?"

Mobius sat at the edge of the bed again and looked up to her, "For everything" he said, "When we're not in battle I spend most of my time working on squadron reports and coming up with ideas on how to handle the enemy. With the exception of us sharing a bed I don't really spend that much time with you".

"Is that what's bothering you?" Meia chuckled, "I lead the dread teams so I work a lot to so I don't hold that against you if that's what you're thinking".

Mobius shook his head, "No I hold it against myself" he stood up and walked over to her, "I went back to my room in the brig last night to think about that message we watched yesterday, but when I woke up and looked at my cot I realized something. Whether I have a dream that's haunting me or a quiet night's sleep either way it doesn't matter to me if I'm not sleeping next to you".

Gently taking her hand the same way she did his the previous day he looked into her eyes and smiled, "I realized that even though I love you I was still trying to keep part of myself detached so I could focus on getting my work done. Do you remember what you said to me yesterday? That I was afraid that I had really turned into the monster I thought I was, you were right. That's when I realized that monster it vanishes more and more with each second I spend with you".

Meia smiled a little, "I love that you told me that, but this feels a little awkward, this is out of character for you".

Mobius smiled back at her, "I know, but it's the truth. From now on I just want to be with you. A lot of people keep looking at me like I'm the light in the darkness that will guide them back home" he tightened his hold on her hand and continued to gaze right into her eyes as he spoke, "But you Meia, you're my light. You're what keeps me going".

Meia heart began racing as she heard his words just as it did before she realized how she felt about him. She could feel her throat closing in on itself as she tried to say something, but her mind was racing as fast as her heart. Meia quickly gave up on trying to think of something to say and instead pulled herself closer to him and kissed him, knowing that now only was he telling her the truth, but that he was her light as well.

The two pilots parted from each other and for the first time neither of them knew what to say to the other they just stood there in silence until someone else knocked at Meia's door.

Turning away from Mobius, Meia slowly opened the door to see Parfet standing outside.

"Sorry to bother you so early Meia" the engineer began seeming a little nervous, "But is Mobius with you by any chance?"

"Is something wrong?" Meia asked her.

Parfet couldn't stop ringing her hands together, "Actually there is. That part of the message that was cutting out I managed to fix it and…it's not good. I think he should see it for himself".

"What is it?" Mobius asked walking over to the door.

Parfet looked like she didn't want to tell him; whatever it was must have really shaken her.

"It's about me isn't it?" Mobius asked her to which she nodded. Mobius looked down at Meia and then back to Parfet, "Go tell the captain I'll meet her on the bridge in a bit and we'll discuss it from there".

Parfet nodded and was about to turn away before Mobius stopped her, "Parfet…Thank you".

The engineer nodded before running off to the bridge to tell the captain about the missing piece from the message.

Looking back to Meia, Mobius' smile was gone, "It seems my hunch was right".

"What's wrong?" she asked him.

"You should get dressed" he told her, "You and everyone else will see once we get to the bridge".

Meia wasn't sure what to make of the sudden change in Mobius' mood, but whatever it was there was no way it was good. Parfet who was usually cheerful seemed completely nervous and almost afraid and now Mobius looked like he was reluctant to find out himself.

After changing, Meia followed Mobius to the bridge where the captain and BC were waiting for them.

"Ah so you're finally here" Magno said looking down at them, "So Parfet tells me that corrupt part of the message has been recovered. She seemed pretty shaken up about it".

"If it's what I think it is" Mobius began as he walked over to her, "She has a right to be".

Magno was unsure of what would make Mobius say such a thing, but she figured out a long time ago that it's next to impossible to figure out what goes on in his mind. Contacting Parfet Magno told her to play the recovered part of the message.

"Roger captain" Parfet replied from Engineering, "There wasn't anything at the part of the message Mobius mentioned just a stutter in the recording, but I did find a second message that was all screwy that's what I was able to fix".

Magno hummed to herself, "Very well go ahead and put it on for me".

A screen appeared above the bridge showing the same man and woman from the previous recording.

"Our equipment is starting to fail so I don't know if this will be recorded clearly so at this point I can only hope. The man I mentioned before the one that the Earthlings are blaming for what happened to our home world, he is not to blame. His name was never learned and we know nothing of his identity other than a single emblem, but what we do know is that this man is not to blame. He was a hero who destroyed a terrible weapon that threatened to save the world".

At that moment the Peksis began acting up again, broadcasting the video to the entire ship instead of just the bridge.

"In mid 1999 a large asteroid measuring 1.6 kilometers in diameter was discovered by astronomers and after careful evaluation they deduced that impact with the Earth was inevitable. With that in mind worlds leaders convened to devise a plan to help avert this disaster. Several countries offered aid to Usea in light of this and there were others who desperately wanted to help, but were unable to. The world superpower Osea was still suffering a great lack on manpower and funds after the end of the Belkan war in 1995. Even in spite of this the plan was realized. The Stonehenge Turret Network had been completed. Consisting of eight electromagnetic cannons with an effective radius measuring the entirety of Usea, the idea of this was to destroy the asteroid before it made impact, but when it came time to fire at it the unthinkable happened. The asteroid shattered into thousands of fragments before Stonehenge could attack it, the larger fragments were immediately targeted as the biggest threat and destroyed by Stonehenge while the others were left to fall".

The video showed images of the Ulysses asteroid and its fragments being strewn across the Earth's hemisphere, "Millions upon millions of lives were lost within the weeks following the impact, but the tragedy did not end there. Erusea one of the surviving country's that were affected noticed the power of Stonehenge and decided to use it as a weapon of war. Because of this misused weapon they were able to conquer other countries and this is where the hero in history makes his appearance".

The video showed another still image of a destroyed Stonehenge with and another image that was zoomed in on a fighter jet, the image was hazy, but everyone watching immediately knew what it was, an F-22.

The woman in the video took over from there, "The pilot of this aircraft is the sole man responsible for destroying Stonehenge. Originally a weapon built to protect Earth from more asteroids, Stonehenge was being misused and its destruction is thanks to this unknown pilot, but that isn't where it all ends".

Another image appeared showing an extremely large facility covering an entire island.

"What you are seeing now is Megalith, a superstructure facility with the same purpose as Stonehenge to destroy asteroids before they make planet fall. The facility was equipped with high density, long range precision lasers and three different types of missiles. The first are small nuclear missiles that were used to destroy asteroid before they entered the lower atmosphere. The second type were Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles or ICBMs, these were much larger nuclear missiles that had the same purpose as they smaller counter parts only with the intended use of destroying larger asteroids"

The video showed images and blueprints for the missiles as well as statistics on the amount of damage just one could cause.

"There were four of these missiles in total housed within Megalith and the Independent State Allied Forces found out that the remnants of the Erusian military were trying to use them as weapons of mass destruction they sent a squadron of the best fighter pilots they could to stop them".

Another image was shown of a full squadron consisting only of F-22s.

"That wasn't all, also housed within Megalith was a single much larger ICBM with destructive power rivaling that of a V2 rocket. These horrible weapons were going to be used to target innocent cities and it's thanks to the courage and bravery of a single pilot that such a monster was stopped".

Everyone across the ship was in awe over what they were hearing, two super weapons destroyed by a single pilot and the images that went along with the message was all the proof they needed to know who it was.

The video showed the man again as he stood in front of the woman, "Whoever is watching this right now you're probably starting to piece it all together. This man who saved the world is also responsible for its destruction and its fall into darkness, for you see without Megalith or Stonehenge there was no way to stop the asteroid that fell afterwards. The world was too exhausted after having two devastating wars within such a short time and no country could commit enough funds to build another defense against the celestial bodies".

Several more images were shown, each of them with the same background countless numbers of asteroids falling from the sky across the world.

"Over the next few decades all of the world's funds were used to rebuild the damage caused by the war, but the asteroids continued to fall over the years preventing the economy from moving forward. It is because of this that the people of Earth began to blame the man who saved them, they saw him as the cause for their seemingly unending suffering".

The old man paused for a moment, "It pains me to say, but in a way they were right. He was the cause of the world's downfall, but if those weapons weren't destroyed millions of lives would have been extinguished a lot sooner. Many began to feel that it would have been better if a single country conquered the world rather than have it be destroyed".

Once again the woman standing behind him picked up from there, "We admit that we can understand their way of thinking, but whoever this pilot was it isn't right for anyone to cast judgment on him for what he did. At the time he was tasked with destroying a dangerous weapon no one, not even the pilot knew that the world would be doomed without it".

"Like we said before, this hero's name was never learned and all we know about him other than his accomplishments is the emblem on his fighter jet".

A close up image of the Mobius strip that served as the ribbon insignia on Mobius' F-22 was shown as the female scientist continued.

"Whoever is watching this we want you to know if you've heard stories about this man being responsible for the Earth becoming what it is please, don't believe any of it. In spite of what the Earth is now he his not responsible. The ones to blame would be the people who still live there for allowing their hatred to cloud their views of the truth. I know there is no chance we'll ever meet you in person, but if by chance this message does reach someone who knew him or knows the truth about him we thank you. Because of one man a war was ended and even if just for a few years people were able to sleep soundly without the fear of war. Regardless of what happened after that, this is proof enough that this man, this pilot was a hero who saved billions of lives across the world".

The video began cutting out again and the woman sounded panicked, "We don't have much more time I'm afraid, our equipment will fail soon. I just want to say if that pilot does still exist or if he's up there watching over us I want to thank you, my grandfather and grandmother would always talk about you and a pilot who they called 13. The two of you were enemies in battle, but they knew if you ever met you would become friends. Thank you for what you've done for your selfless sacrifice to save so many lives".

"I have just one last request to whoever is watching this, please take care of my daughter we send her to you in the hopes of preserving our own family".

The video finally cut out leaving everyone on the ship speechless, Mobius the pilot they all trusted with their lives was the reason Earth became uninhabitable and mankind was forced to leave to colonize other worlds and what's more was that Misty was the daughter of the couple in the video.

After a prolonged silence Magno looked down to Mobius, "So was your gut feeling right on this one?"

Mobius remained quiet for a while fully taking in everything he had heard and watched before he turned to her and nodded, "After I saw the images of the asteroids yesterday I figured it out. With both Megalith and Stonehenge gone there was no way to protect the earth against further asteroids regardless of size. At the time I was focused on destroying them so they couldn't be used as weapons, but now…" Mobius looked at the floor, "I'm responsible for the death of an entire planet…how do you live with something like that?"

"Those two certainly didn't seem to think you were responsible" Magno pointed out, "Do you really think you're to blame?"

"No" Mobius answered, "If I had the choice to go back in time I would destroy both of those weapons all over again. I was right in what I did I know that it's just…It's just a lot to be hit with at once".

BC stepped over to Mobius, "I know this is hard for you to handle right now, but there was something else they said something about their daughter. They want us to take care of her".

"Oh that's right" Magno said, "I wonder who that could…" the aged pirate immediately realized it and began accessing the ship's cameras to find Misty.

Finding Misty in the Infirmary, Magno asked Parfet to play the message again and freeze it when the woman in the video appeared.

Following the captain's orders, Parfet replayed and paused the video when the woman first appeared on screen. From there Magno took the image of Misty and placed it along side the woman in the video message.

BC stared at the image, "There is a resemblance, but the woman is wearing some kind of visor over her face so we can't see her facial features, if she really is her Misty's mother".

Mobius quickly stepped forward and narrowed his eyes as he stared at the paused video. Running back to the captain's post he contacted Parfet, "Parfet there's a picture on the table behind that woman in the video can you zoom in and clear up the image for me?"

"On it standby" she replied back.

Watching the image zoom in Mobius kept his eyes narrowed trying to make out the blurry image as it was being cleared.

"There we go" Parfet said, "Its still a bit hard to make out, what's so important about that".

Mobius turned back to Magno, "Get 13 up here now".

"Is something wrong?" BC asked him.

"It can't be" Mobius muttered as the captain called Yellow 13 to the bridge.

"Sooooooo" the Erusian ace said as he entered the bridge, "Does anyone want to explain to me what just happened?"

Mobius immediately walked over to him, "Do you still have that picture?"

"What picture?" he asked him.

Mobius looked back at the image above the bridge, "The picture of that boy from the photo album, the one who wrote all those letters".

"Oh him" 13 said diving his hand into the pocket of his flight jacket and pulling out an old photo, "What about it?" he asked just before Mobius took it from him and walked to the end of the bridge.

Watching Mobius hold the photo right in front of his face and then looking back at the zoomed in image above them 13 knew what he was thinking, "It can't be".

"It is" Mobius said backing up, "That boy you knew back then is the grandfather of the woman in that video and Misty's great grandfather".

Mobius handed the photo back to 13 and slowly shook his head trying to convince himself of everything that had just happened. Finally taking a deep breath he looked up to the captain, "So what happens now?"

"What do you mean?" she asked him.

"Well the crew is going to be split on this one. There will be the ones who still think of me as an ally to them and then there's going to be the ones who think I shouldn't be here. What do we do about this?"

"Nothing" Magno sternly said, "Time after time you've proven to us who you are Mobius. You are not just our ally at this point I consider you one of the most important people on this ship. While it's true that you may have doomed our old home world what they said is true. Even if it was just for a few years you gave the people of Earth peace of mind and allowed them to sleep at night without fear and I've stopped counting the number of times you've saved everyone on board this ship. As far as I'm concerned you are a hero and no one here will say otherwise".

"I know I won't" Meia said as she walked over to the former ISAF pilot, "You've risked your life to save our more times than I care to count only a true hero can do that".

Mobius nodded before looking over to 13, "You should probably talk to Misty sometime and explain to her that you knew her great grandparents. With her mother and father gone you'll be the closest thing she has to family for now".

13 agreed, "You're right" he turned around and walked away muttering to himself, "Who knows, maybe this way I can make up for betraying those two that night".

After 13 left the bridge Mobius looked back up to Magno, "I'll be going as well even with your words of encouragement this is a lot to take in at once".

Magno nodded, "I understand take your time and deal with it when you're ready".

Mobius turned to leave, but Magno called out to him once he reached the door, "Mobius just one more thing".

The ace pilot turned back to look at her surprised to see the smile on her face, "Just remember you've been a great help to us outside of battle to" she said before looking down to Meia, still smiling.

Mobius also shifted his gaze to Meia and immediately knew what the captain meant, "Thank you captain" he said as he held his hand out toward Meia, "Coming?" he asked her with as much of a smile as he could muster.

Meia quickly walked over to him and took his hand as they left the bridge and returned to her room where they remained for the rest of the day.

"A lot's happened in the past few days huh?" Mobius asked her as they sat on the bed.

"It has been a crazy ride since all of this started" Meia said, "But I agree with what you said back on the bridge. If I could go back in time I would do it all over again, no matter how this turns out for better or for worse I'm going to stay by your side".

"Thank you Meia" Mobius said quietly, "That means more to me than you know".

Meia turned around on the bed to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck as she hugged him and fell to the side, dragging him down onto the bed with her. Both of them got a short laugh out of it before Meia looked into his eyes again, "Your eyes have this cold stare to them they're like stone, but I can see past them and to the person you really are".

She nestled her head against him as she held him closer, "You were a hero to your sister, a hero to the people of your country and military and a hero to everyone on this ship, but the best part is I get to call you my hero".

Mobius smiled at her, "You're strong enough to not need a hero" he told her as he gently ran his hand across her cheek, "But if you ever need me I will be there for you no matter what".

* * *

Hard times don't create heroes. It is during the hard times when the hero within us is revealed –Bob Riley

**A/N.** And another chapter down. I figured it was finally time to reveal what happened to Earth after the frontier ships began leaving and as it turns out Mobius destroying Stonehenge and Megalith is what doomed the world.

With that in mind will the unwavering pilot still be the same or will this knowledge cause his own downfall?

And this isn't the only surprise it turns out that the young boy Yellow 13 always hung out with back on Earth is Misty's great grandfather, with this in mind will the Erusian pilot be able to help Misty open up to those around her and help him face his own problems from his past?

Only time will tell as the Nirvana and her crew continue on to stop their enemy.


	4. I Will Protect You

Life will not be contained, Life always finds a way - Jeff Goldblum.

* * *

Mobius stood at the top of a hill, looking out at the barren wasteland of the planet the Nirvana had stopped at, "No matter where you look on this world there's nothing, but death".

"Why would anyone do something like this?" Meia asked seeing the diseased world before her.

"Because they know they can" Mobius answered coldly, "They know they have the power and strength to do it and they know that the people who live here will never stand against them" turning to Meia he gave her a hard stare, "The worst part is when I look at this I feel anger, but I don't think it bothers me as much as it should".

"What do you mean?" Meia asked him.

Mobius exhaled through his nose as he looked up at the sky, "Well the harvest diseased this planet dooming it to forever be like this and I did the same thing once before. I doomed an entire world to being a wasteland".

"Stop" Meia immediately snapped, "Don't start that again I already told you what happened to Earth isn't your fault".

"It is" Mobius said rather bluntly, "The blame can't belong to anyone else, I am the only one responsible for destroying Earth's only defense against the asteroids so the fault is mine and mine alone. We must all take responsibility for our actions Meia no matter how horrible they may are".

Meia quickly composed herself before speaking, "I'm not arguing that" she said looking at the ground, "You're not the only one who's done bad things in the past. After my parents died I turned to street fights, vandalism and other crimes for various reasons I didn't care who or what I only looked out for myself, but that's in my past and I'm not letting it define who I am today".

The dread pilot took a single step toward him, "If you are willing to accept responsibility for what you did then you shouldn't have a problem doing something about it".

Mobius turned to look at her again, "Do you have something in mind?"

"I do" Meia nodded, "Instead of this self pity thing you're doing try redeeming yourself, you can start by helping the rest of us save this planet and then you can keep going by saving Mejere and Tarak from the harvest".

Mobius was silent for a few seconds before sighing, "Since when am I the one getting lectured?" he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Alright then deal" he said walking over to her, "Step one we save this world, step two save Mejere and Tarak and step three…" he reached out and gently took her hand, "Well I'll let you figure that one out to".

Meia dropped her head with an annoyed sigh, "Even now I still can't figure you out. One second you're acting gloomy and then you jump back to being…whatever you are" she slowly shook her head with a small smile, "You're just a big mystery. Once I think I figured out something about you I find more questions about you".

"Oi you two" Yukiko's voice called over to them, "We're about ready to start the operation".

"That time already?" Mobius wondered looking back out at the wasteland before them.

The world they landed on was completely diseased, its inhabitants mal-nourished and the local plant life itself was all dead except the most persistent of plants. The water was provided to them by a mechanized pump built by Earth giving them only enough water to keep surviving until their deaths.

"I should return to the Nirvana to help oversee the operation" Meia said turning back to Mobius.

Mobius nodded to her, "I'll stay down here and help Duelo and Gascogne if they need me".

Meia left to return to the Nirvana leaving Yukiko with Mobius, "How are you holding up?" she asked him.

"No different then usual" Mobius replied, staring out at the empty wasteland, "You?"

Yukiko sighed quietly as she looked back at the small village below them, "I'm trying not to think about it. When I see everyone like this I'm trying to pretend it's a natural disease from the planet not some experiment by Earth…When I think of what they've done…" her body began shaking, "I just can't think about it. These people did nothing to deserve this".

Yukiko took a deep breath to calm herself down, "We have to put an end to this" she said, "They have no right to go around doing this".

"That may be true, but in their minds they have all the right they need" Mobius told her.

"That doesn't mean anything" Yukiko cried, "I don't care if they think they have the right you can't go around deciding the lives of others like this".

Mobius walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, her entire body was trembling, "Perhaps it's best we don't discuss it any further. Come on we've got work to do".

Mobius and Yukiko returned to the village below them to assist Duelo and the ground teams in aiding the residents as best they could.

When the Nirvana landed each of the crew members were given a special shot to protect them against the disease of the planet so at least they could avoid contracting the disease themselves.

Passing by Parfet and the machine she was building, Mobius looked up at it, "Any progress?" he asked her.

The head engineer sighed, "I'm afraid not it looks like we're going to have to terraform this world from scratch".

"Is that even possible?" the ace pilot asked.

Parfet sighed again, "I'm not sure, but we have to try" she contacted Vandread Jura as it held the planet within its shield, "Alright you two get ready we're going to run another test".

Yukiko kneeled down next to Parfet, "Here I'll help" she said grabbing some tools and assisting Parfet with her machine.

Mobius continued on his own to the main tent, meeting Gascogne, Barnette and Leona at the doorway. The three of them were listening to Bart telling a fake story of how he saved the Nirvana to a girl named Shirley. She was an 11 year old girl who like everyone else was very sick, but her condition seemed to be a little worse than most of the others so Duelo had her placed in the main tent so he could keep a closer watch on her condition.

Even though they all knew Bart's story wasn't true it made Shirley happy so none of them bothered to intervene.

Gascogne smirked as they listened to Bart's story, "When someone like him lies that audaciously I don't feel like scolding".

"If it makes her happy then who are we to stop it" Mobius said as he passed by them, "Bart a moment please" he said as he walked passed the helmsman and toward Duelo's temporary office.

Bart had a worried look on his face before putting on a fake smile for Shirley, "Alright I'll be right back so don't go anywhere now".

Shirley smiled at him, "Ok I can't wait to hear more".

Bart smiled and followed Mobius back to Duelo's office. "Look is there really any harm in telling her a story or two?" he asked once behind the office door.

Mobius picked up two large rubber bands from the desk and handed one to Bart, "What have we got?" he asked Duelo as he began wrapping the rubber band around his index and middle fingers.

"From what I can tell it's definitely the planet's atmosphere and not the surface, if we can just change that somehow we could cure the illness".

With the rubber band hooked around his index and middle finger, Mobius looped it around his ring and little finger as well, "So what's Parfet's idea again? Using the spreading the Peksis in the atmosphere?"

"Basically" Duelo replied before Bart spoke up, "So why am I here? And what am I supposed to do with this?" he asked holding up the rubber band.

Mobius held his fist up to Bart showing the rubber band wrapped around his index and middle finger, at first Bart was worried he might try to hit him, but then Mobius opened his hand and the rubber band snapped over to his ring and little finger.

"Whoa how did you do that?" the helmsman gasped.

"It's a trick I learned long ago" Mobius told him, "Watch closely" he said as he showed Bart how to do it.

"Like this?" Bart asked after trying it for himself, Mobius nodded before Bart opened his hand and watched the rubber band snap to his other two fingers, "That's pretty cool I'm going to show this to Shirley".

"Why do you think I showed it to you?" Mobius asked him as he left with Bart back out to the infirmary to watch Bart show Shirley the magic trick he just learned.

"Hey Shirley you want to see something cool?" the helmsman asked her.

Shirley immediately smiled, "What is it?"

Bart grinned as he turned his back to her, "Just a second and I'll show you", carefully wrapping the rubber band around his index and middle fingers while hooking it to the points of his ring and little finger before showing his fist to Shirley.

"What is it?" Shirley asked seeing the rubber band only wrapped around his first two fingers. Bart quickly opened his hand and Shirley was startled when the band snapped to his other two fingers, "How did you do that?" she gasped, "Again again!" she cheered.

Mobius smiled as he returned to the entrance of the tent.

"Didn't think I'd ever see you do something like that for someone" Gascogne said as the pilot left the tent.

"We all know her chances of making it are pretty much zero unless we really can change the planet itself, if it's something that can make her happy even for just a little bit we might as well try it".

Gascogne smirked again, "So you really are a big softy under that cold stare of yours".

Mobius looked up at the sky, "Claire was really sick when she was 9, she almost died from it…Bart's doing the same thing I did back then".

"So that's how it is then?" Gascogne said before giving a small laugh, "You're really something you know that? Despite what you've done in the past you help where needed you're an alright guy".

Mobius stared out at the wasteland around them once again, "You seem to forget that all the help I've given you was long before I found out I killed Earth".

Gasco's smile quickly dropped into an annoyed frown as she walked over to him and slapped her hand onto his shoulder, "Look I can't claim to know what you're going through or how you feel about something like that, but that planet isn't dead yet" her smile returned in the form of a massive grin, "In case you've forgotten the enemy is still after us which means Earth is still there and alive. Sure it'll die one day, but not from you".

"I'm still the one who pulled the trigger when by destroying Megalith" Mobius told her.

Gascogne sighed through her teeth making it seem like she was growling before she tightened her held on Mobius' shoulder, "Look I'm starting to get a bit tired of you acting like this. What you did happened over a hundred years ago so there's no point moping about it".

Mobius shifted his gaze to the Reg leader that towered over him, "I'm not moping, I'm the same as I always have been I'm just…" taking a quick breath Mobius looked back out at the wasteland, "I'm just thinking about the people I knew back on Earth, the people who survived the bombing of my town, the ISAF captain that helped free my town and allowed me to join ISAF…after I destroyed Megalith I was going to return home to everyone who was still there, I didn't care that I was a war hero I couldn't care less about something like that".

Mobius looked up at the sky scanning it for the tiny dot that was Vandread Jura, "To return home and let everyone know I was still alive, but now when I think about that…if they knew who I was that I was the one responsible…some hero I turned out to be"

"That's what this is about?" Gascogne asked him, "You're worried that they'd no longer like you? You didn't seem like the type to care what people thought of him".

"I'm not" Mobius told her, "I couldn't care less of what people think of me there are only a few people whose opinions mean anything to me, I didn't join the military to help my hometown it was safe once ISAF liberated it. I joined the military for revenge nothing more I wasn't fighting to protect anything. Everything that mattered to me was already gone I just wanted to make my enemy regret it to suffer".

Gascogne hung her head, "Sounds like you're going around in circles and I'm starting to think you don't even know what's bothering you".

Mobius sighed and shook his head, "You're probably right, since I found out I've played it all out in my head and it keeps going round and round with no end in sight. Maybe its just when I think of Earth the first thing that comes to mind is the time I spent with my family, my mom, my dad and Claire it was just the four of us of course most of the time they were both away on business so it was just me and Claire mostly…"

A soft booming sound echoed past them, the two looked behind them to see Parfet and Yukiko coughing through the smoke pouring from Parfet's machine.

Yukiko sighed, "Maybe it really is impossible".

"No!" Parfet yelled, throwing her arm into the air "We're going to make this work I know we can do it if we try hard enough we have to!"

Mobius laughed softly, "Maybe that's a reason I like being on the Nirvana, a lot of the girls on that ship remind me of Claire in a small way, Parfet's enthusiasm, Dita's childish optimism and even Meia reminds me of her they both follow me pretty much everywhere".

"That's not just a one way street from what I hear" Gasco said to him with another smile on her face, "From what I hear you've been going to Meia's room pretty much every night for a long time now".

Mobius raised his eyebrows with a smirk, "I see that's starting to get around the ship. You know now that I think about it other than the captain you're the only one who hasn't really questioned my relationship with Meia, in fact you don't really seem to care that much".

"Because I don't" Gascogne admitted, "If the two of you are happy to be with each other then what does it matter what anyone else thinks? I may have been born on Mejere like the rest of the ladies on that ship, but I hold a different view of the world man or woman it doesn't matter we're all the same when it comes down to it, so if you two really care for each other that much then who am I to say otherwise".

Mobius was suddenly silent; he had a look of nostalgia on his face and a bit of a pensive look in his eyes as he stared at the ground.

"Hey are you in there?" Gascogne said lightly tapping her fist into his shoulder.

Mobius shook his head, "Sorry I was just remembering when Claire was young, I told you earlier she was about 9 years old and she got really sick".

Gascogne nodded, "Yeah, what about it?"

Mobius smiled, I was just remembering that back then she annoyed the hell out of me she was calling me every five minutes to do something for her since she wasn't strong enough to walk on her own" a deep sadness was visible in his expression, but the ace pilot still managed to laugh, "Every five minutes all I heard was Koh…" Mobius suddenly fell silent.

"Something wrong?" Gascogne asked noticing the sudden change in his expression he looked like he was surprised by something.

Mobius' expression changed he seemed surprised and completely confused by something, "I…I feel like I was about to say something important, but when I opened my mouth I completely forgot what it was…"

"You were just talking two seconds ago" Gascogne chuckled. Mobius' lips were silently moving as if he was trying to remember what he was saying. "You really don't remember what you were just saying?" Gascogne asked him, "You were telling me about when your sister was sick; you said that every five minutes…Hey!"

Mobius suddenly placed his hand on his head and stumbled forward before collapsing. Gascogne caught him and pulled him back to a vertical stance, "You ok?" she asked him as he grunted and fiercely shook his head.

"My head" he grunted loudly as he clenched at his skull, "I need to go to Duelo" he said trying to sound calm as he stepped away from Gascogne.

"Easy now" she said, catching his arm as he stumbled forward again, "Need any help?"

"Thank you, but I'll be fine" Mobius gasped, "Its not that far I'll be ok".

Gascogne watched Mobius force his way back to the main infirmary tent to find Duelo, sighing as he walked away, "I can see why him and Meia like each other so much they're both stubborn". Hearing Yukiko yell behind her Gascogne looked over to see Yellow 13 walking over to Yukiko and Parfet.

"Hey girls" 13 said as he walked over to them, "Any progress? Hibiki and Jura are starting to get pretty exhausted".

Parfet looked up to him, "I'm afraid not, we're doing all we can right now, but something's not right and I can't figure out what it is yet. I know this is hard for them, but please tell them to hang in there. Even if I get this thing working it won't mean anything if they don't hold their position".

13 nodded, "Alright I'll tell them to hang in there we all have faith in you Parfet I know you won't disappoint us".

Parfet gave him a 'leave it to me nod' and went back to work as Yukiko stood up, "I need to talk to Jax for a bit is that ok Parfet?"

Parfet smiled at her, "Of course I need some time to think anyway go ahead I'll be alright for now".

Yukiko nodded and wished Parfet luck before following after Yellow 13, "Jax wait up" she called as she ran over to him.

"You're still calling me by name huh?" he chuckled.

"Well we're friends right?" Yukiko asked him, "Or would you rather me just call you captain like Mobius does".

13 smiled, "Not outside of battle please".

"Then Jax it is" Yukiko giggled as she turned around and walked backwards next to him, "So how's Misty?"

13 shrugged, "I told her what I had to and she hasn't said anything to me since. Maybe she's just trying to sort through all of it; she definitely has a thing for Hibiki though so that keeps her busy instead of focusing on her parents at least".

13 suddenly stopped, "Speaking of having a thing for someone you seem to be getting more and more friendlier around me".

Yukiko blushed and turned her head to the side, "Well maybe there's a reason for that?"

13 smiled at her, "You're a really nice girl Yukiko, beautiful, smart and very friendly, but I think you're a little young for me".

"Don't be so sure" the brunette replied, "I'm actually 32 years old".

13 was silent for a brief moment as he thought about what he just heard, "Either you're lying to me or you age very gracefully".

Yukiko continued hiding her shy face, "I look a lot younger than I am, but I don't think that's relevant…I like you".

13 remained silent, but the look on his face explained it more than any words could. Yukiko knew a good bit of history dating back to the days before mankind left Earth and she knew of how 13 lost Yellow 4 when Mobius shot her down after the destruction of Stonehenge. He was another man trapped in his own past and with twisted versions of his pride hunting him across the galaxy that was just salt in the wound.

Yukiko waited patiently for him to say something, but despite her disposition she was panicking on the inside. Eventually the pilot's lips parted as she was about to say something, but the Erusian ace spoke first.

"I'm flattered Yukiko I am, but I'll need time before I could even begin to think of a relationship with someone".

13 returned to the shuttle which would return him to the Nirvana leaving Yukiko behind with a sad, wishful smile.

Yukiko cupped her hands behind her waist and looked over her shoulder, watching the shuttle return to the orbiting Nirvana. Watching the shuttle depart she felt as if her heart was being crushed she felt like she was suffocating more and more the further the shuttle got from her.

"So this is what it feels like" she said to herself, "It hurts, but it kinda feels nice at the same time".

Returning to the main tent, Yukiko found Mobius and Duelo talking to Meia and BC from the temporary infirmary they had set up in the tent.

"So Parfet says it depends on their will power huh?" BC asked.

Duelo nodded, "That seems to be the case everything depends on Hibiki and Jura if they falter for even a moment everything could fall apart, but that's not all she also believes it depends on the condition of the Peksis as well".

"The Peksis" Meia said, "From what I've heard the Peksis data was purposely destroyed in order to create the current environment".

Mobius groaned as he threw a pill into his mouth and swallowed it, "When all of this started I was thinking that the Peksis was just some kind of energy source, but lately I've been wondering after everything that's happened so far I'm beginning to think it has a mind of its own".

"Is something wrong?" Meia asked Mobius as he placed his hand against his forehead.

"Just getting a mild headache" Mobius told her, "I'm going to take a quick nap that should ease it a bit".

Meia nodded to him, "Alright, don't push yourself".

Mobius smiled at her, "Pretty sure I don't answer to you".

Meia scoffed just as Duelo ended the communication with them and turned to Mobius, "We need to begin thinking of another plan in case Parfet's machine doesn't work".

Mobius tiredly fell back into the chair next to him, "I wouldn't even know where to begin. As much as I want to help these people we can't stay here forever we only have a couple of days at most before we have to leave. If we stay here too long the harvest will get ahead of us".

"That's true" Duelo agreed, "Although the thought of abandoning these people doesn't sit well with me we are on a time limit".

"What do you think Yukiko?" Mobius asked turning his chair to the pilot hiding behind the doorway, "You've been standing there for a while now".

Yukiko apologized before she entered the room, "I wanted to talk to you, but I didn't want to interrupt".

Mobius motioned for Yukiko to take a seat next to them, "Did Parfet happen to mention anything to you like another possible way to fix this mess?"

Yukiko lowered her eyes, "I'm afraid not and she said that everyone is contaminated from birth so if we can't change the atmosphere then there's nothing we can do".

Mobius sighed, "If only we could take them with us".

"Bart already suggested the idea" Duelo admitted, "He wanted to take everyone with us back to Tarak to get better medical attention, but with the condition of all of them they would never survive the journey".

"Bart" Yukiko chuckled softly, "He really seems to like that girl".

"Yes he does" Mobius said, "If he put that kind of energy into his job we probably would have been back to Mejere by now". Mobius sighed again before looking to Duelo, "You're not one to mince words Duelo what do you think her chances are?"

"Not as good as I would like" the doctor admitted, "Even if Parfet managed to get her machine working and we were able to start helping the people of this world, I'm afraid Shirley's condition is to severe. The chances of any kind of treatment working are low".

"Why?" Yukiko said quietly, "She's just a little girl why does she have to suffer like this?"

"The same reason my sister died" Mobius told her, "When someone obtains power they seek to use it. Those…people on Earth they did this because they could".

"They had no right" Yukiko cried trying to keep her voice down.

"Whether they had the right or not if no one stopped them then it doesn't matter" Mobius said standing up, "That's why we're here. We're going to put a stop to it all".

Turning back to Duelo, Mobius thanked him for the medicine before asking Yukiko to follow him as he left.

Leading Yukiko out of the tent Mobius turned to her, "You said you wanted to talk to me?"

Yukiko nodded, "I…I wanted to ask you a few things, but…I feel nervous about it".

Mobius scratched the side of his head, "I'm not good at helping people with personal problems Yukiko…but I'll try to help you as much as I can".

"Thank you" the female pilot said before taking a deep breath, "I…I want to ask you. When you spend time with Meia…what does it feel like? How do you feel when you're with her?"

Mobius turned his head to the side, "There's no real way to describe it" he answer before looking up at the sky, "When I'm with her…I'm happy".

"Then how do you feel when you're not with her?" Yukiko immediately asked.

"Why don't you go ahead and tell me how you feel?" Mobius asked her, "Describe your own feelings instead of asking about mine".

Mobius' sudden change in tone made her nervous, but she held herself together as best she could, "I feel like I'm suffocating. Every time I think about him I feel like I'm drowning or I can't breathe no matter how much I try. And when I'm with him my whole body feels like its tensing up and going limp at the same time, I feel warm inside".

"Then why are you asking me how I feel around Meia?" Mobius asked her, "You already know how you feel about him why ask me?"

Yukiko shook her head, "I'm not sure I think I'm afraid he doesn't feel the same way".

"If he doesn't then there's nothing that can be done about it" Mobius told her, "If you really like him that much all you can do is tell him and wait until he gives you his answer, that's what I did".

"I already told him how I feel" Yukiko admitted, "But he said he needs time and then he returned to the ship".

"You out of everyone on the ship should know why" Mobius said to her, "You've prided yourself to look over and study mankind's history dating back to before they left Earth to colonize other worlds. You're probably one of only a handful of people left in the universe who even know about Earth's older history including the Usean Continental War. I shot down and killed Yellow 4 in combat, 13's closest friend and the one he loved. He regrets not realizing that before she died, that time he said he needs. That's him saying he has to make peace with himself before he moves on".

"What do you mean?" Yukiko asked him, "I overheard the two of you talking once; he said it was her fault for going out while her plane was in disrepair".

Mobius nodded, "He did say that, his exact words were she can't complain she made the choice to go out into combat with a damaged fighter so it was her fault that she was shot down. But that's not what he's blaming himself over, he blames himself for not realizing how he felt about her until after she died".

"I see" Yukiko mumbled, "I…I really do like him, but I" Mobius cut her off.

"Did you know there is a single question that every single person who has ever lived has asked in their life?"

Yukiko looked at him, "What question? What are you talking about?"

"Life's biggest mystery" Mobius told her, "The number one question asked throughout human history" Mobius turned his eyes back to the sky, "What is the meaning of life?"

"The meaning of life?" Yukiko asked.

Mobius nodded, "It's a question that has never been officially answered and every single person that has lived has asked it even those who have yet to be born will ask that question eventually".

"Why has it never been answered?" Yukiko asked him.

"Well ask yourself" Mobius told her, "What's the point of life? What is it about? What is the purpose of existence?"

"Wait" Yukiko said, "You said it was never 'officially' answered, what did you mean by that?"

Mobius nodded with a slight smile, "Good catch. Although there is no official answer to that timeless mystery there are many answers that people have come up with on their own. The reason we exist, what keeps us moving forward? Why do we carry on with what we do? Why do we strive to achieve what we want?"

"So the answer is what motivates us?" Yukiko asked.

Mobius shook his head, "Not exactly it's not what motivates us, but it's more along the lines of what we want out of our life. So the answer is different from person to person".

Yukiko lowered her head once again, "What do I want out of life?"

Mobius placed his hand on her shoulder, "I'll leave that for you to figure out".

As Mobius began walking away he heard Bart yelling for Duelo from inside the tent.

Both pilots rushed inside to see what was going on, Shirley's condition had taken a bad turn and Bart was panicking.

Duelo was able to stabilize her, but it wouldn't last long. "She's stabilized for now" the young doctor said, checking a chart he left on a nearby table.

"What do you mean for now?" Bart asked him.

"Her condition is quite severe she's been contaminated from birth and her body is beginning to fail".

"Then use my body" Bart told him, "Take any part of me you need if it helps her".

"Bart stop!" Duelo calmly yelled, "Its not that kind of problem please understand".

"What needs to be done?" Mobius asked him, "There has to be something".

Duelo closed his eyes, "I'm still trying to figure that part out" that's when Barnette barged into the room.

"Doctor its urgent!"

"What is it?" Duelo asked turning to her.

Barnette seemed to be in a panic as well, "We need you in the medical tent now a woman collapsed and she's not conscious".

Duelo, Mobius and Yukiko followed Barnette to the medical tent where Gascogne was holding an unconscious woman in her arms, "She collapsed and hasn't regained consciousness she seems to be having trouble breathing".

After the woman was placed on the examination table Duelo quickly checked her pulse and condition, "She's pregnant and it's almost time".

"It doesn't matter who it is" Gascogne said crossing her arms, "Everyone of 'em is sick".

"That doesn't mean we can give up" Mobius yelled, "There has to be something we can do".

Duelo revealed that he had recently formulated a theory about the disease, "If we can keep them from contracting it at birth they might be able to avoid contracting it for life".

"So all we have to do is give them a clean environment to be born in?" Yukiko asked before BC contacted them telling them an enemy fleet was detected approaching the planet.

"Great that's all we needed" Gascogne said just as Mobius turned to them.

"Gascogne, Barnette!" his personality suddenly changed as he began issuing orders to them, "Get outside and tell Parfet to get her machine ready it's now or never after that tell Bart to get back to the ship without him it doesn't go anywhere". He turned to Duelo and Paiway, "You two focus on keeping the patient stable until Parfet is done, right now your only job in life is bringing a healthy baby into this world understood?"

He then turned to Yukiko, "Let's go we've got a planet to defend".

Leaving the medical tent, Mobius quickly walked back to the shuttle with Yukiko by his side as Barnette and Gascogne ran to tell Parfet to get ready before collecting Bart and returning to the shuttle. Once they were on board the shuttle door closed and ascended into the sky.

Inside the shuttle, Bart clenched his fists he didn't want to leave Shirley alone, but he was needed back on the Nirvana.

"You want to protect her right?" Mobius asked him in a commanding tone, "If you want to protect her then get to the bridge once we land we need you helming the Nirvana".

Bart looked at him with a fire in his eyes and nodded, "I'm going to protect her no matter what".

Once the shuttle docked, Bart rushed to the bridge just as everyone else headed for their ships.

"There's a lot on the line with this one so I'm going out there with you" Gascogne told them as she made her way down to Reg Central.

"Just make it quick I won't wait up for you" Mobius told her as he climbed into his F-22, "This is Mobius 1 I'm taking off".

"Roger" Belvedere's voice answered, "Good luck out there".

The f-22's engines roared to life and the fighter launched into space into another emergency sortie with Yukiko's dread taking off behind him.

"Dita until Barnette gets back I want you to oversee operations for the B team" Meia ordered just as Mobius roared past her followed by the Eclipse squadron.

Mobius immediately issued his orders as he flew far ahead of the dread teams. "Eclipse squadron, disperse and engage at will don't let a single one of those scrap heaps gets through understood?"

"Yukiko here I read you five by five".

"This is Laura roger that, I'll go to the left and flank them".

"Leona here I'm taking the right that leaves the center to you and 13".

Flying directly at the enemy formation, Mobius evaded at last second turning his fighter away to avoid a direct collision with a cube type before turning back and weaving through the enemy formation distracting them while his squadron picked them apart.

"Come on!" the ISAF ace yelled, "I'm right here!"

Making a wide barrel roll, Mobius avoided another collision before shooting down two cube types in front of him and turning to engage the enemy again.

Listening to Mobius over the radio, Meia was confused by his sudden change he had never taken control like this before he was fighting harder than she had ever seen him before, for whatever reason he wanted to protect this planet and the people on it.

"The enemy's main unit is advancing on Vandread Jura!" Celtic announced, "They can't defend themselves while their positioned over the planet their shields keep taking multiple hits and are becoming unstable".

"Hey a little help here would be great!" Hibiki yelled.

The enemy main unit approached the Vandread and opened its mouth intending on swallowing the Vandread and its shield.

"Not a chance!" Mobius yelled as he along with Barnette and Gascogne attacked the enemy ship stopping its advance.

After the enemy ship halted its advance a swarm of cube types appeared and began chasing the defending pilots, "I don't think so" Mobius growled as he threw his fighter into a rapid barrel roll and decelerating, losing his pursuers as they flew past him and were promptly shot down.

The enemy began turning their attention to the Nirvana firing at the ship's shield, but the ship didn't move, "I'll protect her" Bart's voice said, "I'm not going to let those bastards get any closer. I'm not moving no matter what happens I'm not going to give an inch".

The helmsman clenched his fist as he watched the monitors showing him the battle, _"__For all you care we're nothing at all, but these people they're trying their best to live their lives to the fullest. Shirley I won't give up so...so you can't give up either OK. Don't give up…__You hear me Shirley I will never let those things get you!"_

_The Nirvana's armor began breaking away as the ship began changing, parts of it seemed to be opening, various parts of the ship were sliding around and extending as multiple silo looking ports were being revealed under the armor, "Get away from this planet!" Bart yelled before the newly reveled silos fired a massive barrage of lasers toward the enemy._

_"What the hell are you aiming at!?" Mobius yelled before the lasers began arcing around the friendly ships and homing in on the enemy._

_"Has the Nirvana had that kind of power all this time?" 13 muttered after seeing the lasers batter the enemy main unit sending it into its death throes._

_The enemy's main unit began falling toward the planet exploding before it made contact with the Vandread's shields ending the battle…or at least so they thought._

_"Oh no!" Belvedere cried, "Another enemy formation is approaching and it's nothing, but Yellows"._

"What?" Laura asked, "Yellows now? How many?"

"I'm counting 10…no 15, 20…no there's even more there's 30, 30 Yellows!"

"What?" Yukiko yelled, "We've never faced that many at once before".

"I think it's safe to say they're not making things easy for us anymore" BC said, "All units prepare for the next enemy wa…"

"Come on!" Mobius yelled cutting BC off, "Send as many as you want I'll destroy every single one of you!"

"Mobius there's too many pull back and regroup!" BC yelled only to have her orders ignored.

"He's gone insane" 13 growled, "Eclipse squadron let's go we've got a job to do".

Yellow 13 and the rest of the Eclipse members followed after Mobius who had already engage the Yellow formation.

No one knew what to make of Mobius' sudden change he had become more commanding and the ferocity he was showing in this battle was something none of them had ever seen before.

The entire formation comprised of 30 Su-27's had turned to engage the lone F-22 in a match of unparalleled skill vs. sheer numbers an advantage that didn't seem to matter at first.

The number of Yellows began dropping from 30 to 28 and then to 27 as Mobius relentlessly pursed and signaled them out before destroying them like a predator leaping from the bushes to land the final strike on its prey.

By the time the Eclipse squadron arrived to help the number of Yellows had been reduced to 23.

Once the rest of the Eclipse squadron showed up the enemy Yellows fell out of formation and began scattering around making them easy targets for the trained pilots. Mobius began following another Yellow, but right before he could get a lock on his target an image flashed in his mind and his target got away.

"Mobius you alright?" 13 asked seeing Mobius fall out of formation, "Are you hit?"

"Mobius!" Meia silently cried after hearing 13 calling to him.

"Don't make me laugh" Mobius grunted as he tried to return to formation, "They could hit me if they had a ten minute head start…" Mobius grunted again as another image flashed in his mind causing him to fall out of formation a second time.

"Something's wrong" 13 said evading an enemy "Mobius respond!"

Mobius turned away from the battle and placed his hand against his head, in his mind he could see several images playing over and over, "Not now" he growled to himself the pilot clenched his eyes shut trying to force himself to focus.

Opening his eyes, Mobius heard someone calling to him, but it wasn't Yellow 13 or Meia or any of his allies, it was his sister's voice.

"Hey don't space out on me" she laughed as she shook his shoulder, "It's my big night I need you to be focused you're my support on this remember?"

"Claire?" Mobius muttered before a voice echoed around them from various speakers and a loud roar of applause followed it. "What's going on?" he asked looking around the corner and seeing they were both standing behind the curtains of a stage with a large audience surrounding them.

Claire giggled nervously as she stepped forward, "Wish me luck Koh…" the pitch of her voice suddenly became high and turned into a screeching sound that forced Mobius to cover his ears as the lights around him flashed to life, blinding him as he watched his sister disappear into them.

"Mobius!" Meia's voice echoed faintly. Turning his head he looked up at the rafters hearing the voice of the woman he loved call his name again.

Opening his eyes was breathing heavily as he looked around, he was still sitting in his fighter and there were still enemies around.

"They're going after Vandread Jura we have to stop them!" Leona yelled.

Mobius looked at his radar and took a quick count of the remaining enemies, there were only five Yellows left now, but they were all focusing the Vandread intending to take it out with them.

Closing his eyes again Mobius took a deep breath calming himself, hearing his own heartbeat he opened his eyes and took hold of his flight stick before flying forward to reengage the enemy.

"Oh you're finally back huh?" 13 asked seeing the F-22 flying after them.

"They're mine" Mobius said his voice had finally returned to what it usually was like. After the final Yellow was shot down every one returned to the Nirvana and the good news that the baby on the diseased planet was born completely healthy and free from any contamination, but for Bart there was bad news she fought bravely until the end, but Shirley wasn't able to pull through.

Bart left for the hill, the place Shirley wanted to visit and sat down to look out over the village below him. In his hands he held a small doll that Shirley was making it was incomplete missing its hair, but it was obvious it was a doll of him.

Both Mobius and captain Magno were standing behind the helmsman as he silently mourned his young friend.

"Its time for us to leave captain" Mobius said turning toward the ship, "The sooner the better".

Magno walked over to Bart to console him, Mobius overheard her words as she spoke "Keep the memories of the ones you love close to you hold them dear and never let go".

Magno told Bart to take his time and let it all out as she walked back toward Mobius and smiled, "What I said goes for you to young Mobius out of everyone in my crew you're one of few people who can understand how he feels".

Mobius looked away from her, "I've been through worse. I've lost everything before".

"But now you've found something else to hold onto" Magno told him, "You have a family here now and most importantly you have Meia in your life. Take it from an old woman who has lived a long life and seen many things, even in the face of horrible things and dark days, life keeps going forward as long as you have loved ones around you".

Bart walked over to them, "I'm ready to go" he said before looking at Mobius, "I think I finally understand you a little now, why you were always so…distant I feel like I'm dying inside".

"You don't have to explain it to me" Mobius told him before holding out his hand, "Just cherish the time you did spend with her and no matter what don't blame yourself for her death otherwise it'll haunt you as mine does for me".

Bart smiled and shook his hand, "Even after all this time you're still a really mysterious guy, but I have a new respect for you now. It hurts so much, but you've lose more than I have I don't know how you've managed to carry yourself forward for so long".

"Killing those responsible helps" Mobius said to him as they returned to the ship.

Once back on the Nirvana, Mobius said goodnight to Bart and the captain as they returned to the bridge. Taking one last glance at his F-22 the ace pilot yawned before leaving the hangar and running into Yukiko.

"I've figured it out" she said to him.

"Wonderful" he replied tiredly, "What are you talking about?"

"The answer to the meaning of life" she told him "At least my answer to it".

"That's good" Mobius said, "Now take that answer and go tell him about it".

Watching Mobius walk past her Yukiko turned to him, "Do you know what it is?" she asked him.

Mobius stopped and turned to smile at her, "The same as mine, at the end of the day there's only one thing I want".

Mobius left Yukiko alone in the hall smiling at herself, "To be happy, that's all I want".

Returning to Meia's room, Mobius slowly raised his hand and knocked on the door waiting for it to be opened.

Once the door opened Meia jumped toward him and threw her arms around him, "I was worried about you" she cried into his shoulder.

Wrapping his arms around her he allowed his chin to rest against her shoulder, "I'm sorry, but I think I have good news".

Meia pulled her head back and looked into his eyes as he smiled at her, "I think I'm starting to remember my name".

* * *

Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them. – George Eliot

* * *

**A/N.** And another chapter done. About time to I've been sitting on this one confined in the hell known as writer's block for what seems like EONS!

As we see here there seems to be personal conflict with several members of the crew, Bart wanting to entertain his new friend Shirley and praying that she'll one day be able to live without being sick. Yukiko has openly admitted that she has feeling for Yellow 13 and it seems that Mobius is reluctantly playing matchmaker for them.

I chose to bring up a rather delicate topic (for lack of a better term) when Mobius asks Yukiko if she knows what the meaning of life is. A question that truly is asked by every living person at some point in their life which is also a theme in Vandread itself when the Peksis asks Hibiki on multiple occasions what his the proof or reason for his existence.

And we also see that Mobius is not only still struggling to cope with the fact that he's responsible for what happened to Earth so many long years ago, but he's also beginning to remember his name. As more and more of the pilot's past comes flying back to him will he be able to keep it all together for when the final battle approaches?

With new respect and worries growing amongst the crew the only thing they can do is pray and push forward meeting the enemy as they continue their journey home and to the stage of the final battle.


End file.
